Magnificence
by Kayori Aechaa
Summary: She's a beautiful woman. A deadly, beautiful woman with a secret. When she forms a contract with a demon who was thought to have been killed, things get a little sticky and become a worth-while adventure that Claude can't seem to find himself wanting to stray from. [RATED M FOR A REASON - DON'T LIKE, DON'T READ!] - IN THE PROCESS OF BEING EDITED! :)
1. Aelia

**Hello all and welcome to my first Black Butler story! :)**

**I'll be the first to admit that I'm fairly new to the anime, and have just recently finished watching it so if I don't put the characters into perfect form, please be easy with me. I'm super excited to start this fic, so I'm hoping at least one of you lovely readers will enjoy!**

**I've noticed a severe lack of Claude x OC fics on here, so I figured I would spice things up and add to the Kuroshitsuji folder! Out of all the characters, I really have to say that Claude is one of my favourites for the entire series. There's just something about his character and personality that I really enjoy... SO YEAH!**

**The time that this story will start is after Ciel has become a demon.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Black Butler (although I'm sure like many) though I wish I did! If I did, I may have been able to prevent Claude's death. );**

**I'm going to apologize right now for the amount of time skips in this chapter, but I couldn't avoid it when I wrote it out. I hope I don't confuse you all too much. Sorry!**

**[SEPT 7 EDIT]; Chapter has been edited!**

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**Magnificence**

**CH I; Aelia**

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There was always the sound of muffled sobs coming from outside the door, making it difficult to sleep at night. A piercing sound of a hand slapping flesh echoed off the walls in a taunting way, tell those who were behind closed doors that punishment was being given for just reason. Tiny hands clung to the shirt of the older sibling that held onto the younger child tightly, a soothing hand being run up and down her back every so often to ease the nerves caused by the nightly routine. The older sister looked down at her trembling sibling that clung to her while their brother remained close to the door to listen to whatever words that would be exchanged during this event.

Even at the fragile age of four, Aelia was well aware of what was happening.

It was because of her that her mother, the beautiful and kind Elizabeth, received a beating each night from her husband.

Samson watched as Elizabeth shakily pulled herself off the ground and stood up to face him fully. She slowly reached a hand up to cup her throbbing red cheek and looked at him with glassy brown eyes. The ones bright orbs that shone with light and pure devotion for her husband were now dull and void of all that was positive. She looked at her husband now with fear and rejection. There was no fight, no spirit left in her. The only thing she had now was the strength to defend her child against the man she'd fallen in and out of love with.

It would be kept secret from little Aelia until she was old enough to understand, that Samson was not her real father.

Aelia's older siblings, Cassidy and Darius, both resembled Samson strongly.

Darius was rather tall even at the age of ten, and despite his young age, he was already well built and could handle his own. He had a firm, square jaw and a handsome face. Messy blonde hair draped over his face making him look like he was forever just getting out of bed. His pepper grey eyes would look at you with a special kindness that compelled you to trust and confide in him. Often one would see father and son walking through town together politely chit chatting about how Samson was proud that Darius had decided to follow in his footsteps to become the head of the family company. It wasn't much, merely a little bakery that had blossomed with tons of business, but Samson would not see it being left to one of the ladies of the family. That was simply not acceptable.

While Cassidy did resemble Samson to some extent, she was a striking match to Elizabeth. Bright hazel eyes that would bat innocently at you could bend even the strongest iron will. Matched with strawberry blonde hair and a baby doll face, she was sure to blossom into a beautiful young woman to be fought over. However, she was free spirited and becoming quite high maintenance. At the age of eight, she had been betrothed into a very rich family who was part of a famous chain of restaurants. Her betrothed, Oliver, had once commented on how hard it would be to keep up with her, and often compared to her the late Phantomhive's fiancee, Elizabeth Midford, about how hard to handle she could be at times. Despite her uncontrollable flaw, Cassidy cared deeply for her family, and often felt incredibly sorry and upset when Samson punished her mother or younger sister.

The youngest of the three, Aelia, was at the tender age of four and already quite adorable in her own way. Bright crimson eyes with charcoal coloured hair gave her a mysterious appearance even as a child. She was incredibly bright and always happy despite Samson's constant physical and mental abuse. Elizabeth and done what she could to shield her beloved child from Samson's wrath by turning the hateful and negative attention towards herself alone, but it was never enough. Aelia simply had to glance upwards to his face, and she would be struck down. Still, the child continued with a will of steel and always smiled.

"I wonder what set him off tonight?" Darius sighed and leaned back against the wall to the right of the bedroom door. "Mum usually doesn't get it this bad, eh?"

Cassidy shook her head and continued rubbing little Aelia's back. "You usually manage to sleep through the worst of it, Dar. It's always this bad."

Darius frowned and gave Cassidy an apologetic look before setting his eyes on the little girl in his sisters arms. Often Darius would catch the tail end of conversations Samson would have concerning the future of Aelia. Nothing said was good, and it was always surrounded by a "we can send her here" or a "I'll betroth her to the first person that offers their son, worthy or not". It wasn't until recently that Darius and Cassidy had discovered that Aelia was not their full sibling. One night, they overheard their father yelling profanities at their mother when the truth was revealed.

"I wish he would leave it alone," Cassidy sighed and looked down at Aelia. "She may not be his blood, but she is still our little sister."

Darius stared at the two before looking back at the door. The room outside had become eerily quiet which was never a good sign.

"I'm going back to bed," Darius turned to look at his siblings. "I suggest you do the same."

Cassidy nodded slowly and carefully got up, skillfully cradling the now sleeping Aelia in her arms before walking over to the bed and setting her down gently. Darius watched them closely before pushing himself up off the ground and stretching out his arms. After a few more moments of silence, Darius cautiously opened the door and peered outside to see if the coast was clear before disappearing into the hall making sure to close the door silently behind him.

Meanwhile, Cassidy carefully crawled into her bed making sure not to disturb Aelia and settled herself into her sheets. She stared at her younger sister for a moment, a frown etched on her face while she watched the slow rise and fall of Aelia's chest. Reaching over, she gently brushed a few strands of hair from the younger child's face.

"I wish dad wouldn't look at you as if you were filth..." Cassidy murmured to the sleeping girl before allowing the fatigue that suddenly rushed up on her to take her.

**\- x - x - x -**

Elizabeth sat behind Aelia as she ever so gently brushed her hair with a sad smile on her face. The suffering she endured every night at the hands of her husband was instantly washed away with these little moments of peace and quiet with her little girl. Yes, she truly loved all her children, but Aelia was special.

Aelia looked back at her mother and offered a big smile. "Thank you mummy! You always take all the tangles out of my hair!" The little girl giggled before standing up and running off to retrieve her doll.

Samson would always comment about how disgusting Aelia's red eyes were, but all Elizabeth could see were sparkling apple colored orbs that were bright with innocence. Her unusually dark hair was also a topic Samson would not let go. As far as six generations back, both families had been born with light colored hair. It was just another sign that Aelia was not his.

Elizabeth watched Aelia's disappearing form with a sad smile before wiping away a stray tear that trickled down her cheek.

Her hand suddenly reached for a beautiful locket that hung off her neck. "Oh, sweetheart... You're so happy and full of life. I hope you never let anyone take that away from you."

She let her fingers brush over the smooth gold before clasping her hand around it gently. The night she had become pregnant with Aelia, she had returned home not knowing how she had received the necklace. It wouldn't be until later in her pregnancy that she would fully understand who had given it to her. The man had been the storybook description of tall, dark and handsome. Shaggy black hair with piercing red eyes. It had been four years since those eyes met with hers, and even still, Elizabeth found herself thinking of them often.

Sorben was his name. Sorben Taavi Urbana.

Aelia was the spitting image of him. She was the clear reminder of what could have been had Elizabeth taken Sorben's offer when he had whisked her away for a night of passion.

Yes, Elizabeth loved her husband dearly, but her heart also ached and called for the man who bewitched her body and soul.

**\- x - x - x -**

"I don't care how much money you're willing to pay or what your son will be doing with his life. All I want is to rid myself of this putrid and disgusting stain on my family name."

A tall, dark haired man watched Samson from his seated position across the desk and shifted slightly. He had received a letter stating Samson still had one daughter left that was ready to be betrothed, and hurriedly answered back with enthusiasm. Now that the man, a wealthy business owner, had arrived he was beginning to regret coming.

"Sir," The man looked at Samson with a critical eye. "If the child is really that much of a disgrace, why offer her to me? My family is very well off and very well known. I don't need to be taking care of someone else's problems, Mr. Valda."

Samson narrowed his eyes at the man in front of him. "Why are you wasting my time if you're not interested then, huh?"

"I _was_ interested in Cassidy," The man admitted. "She would have been a lovely wife for my Mark, but I refuse to marry my son to that abomination your wife so dearly loves."

"Then get out," Samson was quick to stand up and ushered the man to the door without manner. "I have no time for those who will not be willing to help me out, so get out of my home."

The man allowed himself to be escorted out, but before he walked out the door, he turned to Samson once more as he placed his top hat on his head.

"If she's really that much of an inconvenience to you Mr. Valda, perhaps sending her to brothel would be the most humane thing rather than sending her off to a future husband that could possibly kill her."

Samson scoffed and demanded he leave immediately. Slamming the door shut, he reached up and rubbed his temples with a sigh. Despite his detest for the child, Samson made Elizabeth a promise to find a husband for Aelia. He would have never imagined it would be so difficult to find the cursed child a suitor.

Several meetings later and more let-downs, Samson was at the end of his rope and eventually lost his temper. He sought out the child and found her playing by herself in her room. Aelia looked at him as he entered the room and smiled up at him. The more Samson looked into her red eyes, the more disgusted he found himself feeling for her. Without a word, he reached down and roughly grabbed her by her arm and hauled her to her feet. Aelia yelped loudly and cried out for him to let her go, but it was no use. The first blow to her face was a hard hit, sending her head ricocheting to the other side with a sickening twist. Next was a blow to her stomach and then a little higher to her ribs. Aelia gasped loudly and cried in pain until finally after several minutes she was dropped to the floor like a discarded tissue.

Elizabeth, having heard the commotion, rushed in and ran to Aelia's side. She picked up the crumpled girl into her arms and held her gently before looking up at Samson with teary eyes.

"Samson, how could you?" Elizabeth sobbed for her little girl. "She's just a child!"

Samson narrowed his eyes with a hateful sneer on his face. "I've given plenty of chances for that bastard child of yours to have a decent life. She's not wanted by anyone Elizabeth! She needs to go! I will not have her in this household any longer!"

"Samson, please! Don't kick her out!" Elizabeth stood up and backed away from the man with Aelia still in her arms. "For God sakes, she's only four! She'll die out there–"

Samson let out a frustrated yell and swerved to the right, knocking over several expensive pieces of glass and the nightstand said glass had been perched on. Elizabeth coward and continued stepping back as Aelia gripped her shirt gently and nuzzled her face into her mother's dress. After a moment, Samson seemed to have calmed down some and looked towards the two with a softer eye.

"She leaves when she turns sixteen," Samson gave Elizabeth a stern look. "I don't care where she goes, but she will no longer be allowed in this house at that age."

Without a word, Samson turned and left Elizabeth and Aelia in the room alone. The woman's shoulders shook as she tried hard to contain her sobs. Aelia looked up at her mother with her own teary eyes before submitting to the pain and falling into unconsciousness. Elizabeth finally let go, sobbing uncontrollably and shook violently as she clutched her child close to herself.

_Sorben..._

Later on that night, Elizabeth bravely confronted Samson for the last time. She left a note for her children to read, accompanied by several gifts with each individual's names on them. For Darius, she bought him his first top hat. Cassidy had received a beautiful diamond earring and necklace set. As for Aelia, the tiny box left for her contained the gold locket Elizabeth always wore. She picked it up and held it in her hands as if it were the most fragile of glass and stared at it wide eyed. It was unknown to the children why they had received these generous gifts until next morning and were met with sad news that morning of their mother's passing.

It was suicide.

**\- x- x - x -**

"Cassidy, I wish you wouldn't fuss over me like this." Aelia pouted as she gave her sister's reflection a droll stare.

Cassidy grinned and continued playing at Aelia's hair, determined to create a masterpiece.

"How can I not?" She was beaming. "It's your sixteenth birthday after all! It's not everyday my younger sister turns sixteen, now is it? So come on Aelia, humor your big sister for while. Please?"

Aelia sighed softly with a smile. "You know I can't say no to those big, bright eyes of yours."

"That's right, you can't!" Cassidy giggled and continued her work.

Eventually when the girls were finished preparing for the small gathering Cassidy had gotten permission to throw for Aelia's birthday, the two headed downstairs to the large common area to meet the guests. Both wore a look of confusion when they walked into the room and were greeted with silence.

Not one guest had shown up. But why?

Cassidy frowned and looked around. "Perhaps they're all running late?"

Aelia prepared her response but Samson's voice cut her off immediately.

"I sent them all home."

Both girls looked turned and looked at Samson as he approached the two. Darius followed silently behind him, his head hung low in shame. Cassidy's stomach dropped at the sight while Aelia braced herself for what was about to happen.

Ever since Elizabeth's death, Samson had taken all of his frustrations out on her and her alone.

Suddenly, a vivid memory came hurdling back and instantly Aelia began to back up. She was now sixteen, and if memory served her right, today was the day Samson would kick her out of her home and disown her.

"Father, please-"

Samson's nostrils flared as he exhaled roughly. "Don't you dare address me as your father, you filthy little wench!"

Aelia backed up until her back met with the wall and watched in horror as Samson approached her. Pure hate and rage was clear in his eye. His sights were set on her, and much to her horror, she knew deep down if she fought back he would surely finish her off for good this time.

Samson grabbed her upper arm tightly and began to drag her out of the room. Cassidy followed closely and protested strongly, begging her father to stop but her words went unheard. Samson stopped in front of Aelia's room and shoved her through the door, demanding she pack up and be ready to leave in ten minutes. Before Cassidy could protest more, Samson pushed her roughly out of the room and slammed the door shut leaving a sobbing Aelia to herself.

Having not been given very much as a child before or after her mother's passing, Aelia was able to pack all of her clothing and her most precious items into two bags. Adding a third bag, she quickly grabbed any other necessities she may need down the road and stuffed them in with haste. Before her time was up, she quickly ran over to her dresser and pulled out the middle drawer, lifting up the bottom of the box revealing Elizabeth's locket and a large pouch full of money. Picking up the necklace carefully, Aelia gently fastened it to her neck and hid the it underneath the collar of her jacket before grabbing the bag of coins.

When her time was up and Samson came to get her, he escorted her to the doors and demanded that she never step foot on the property again. He also forbid her from ever seeing Cassidy or Darius again, both of whom never came to see her off. Aelia turned and walked down the steps with what little dignity she had left before Samson could slam the door in her face, and with what little money she had managed to save up, headed towards the town in order to find shelter for the evening.

Later that evening, Aelia lay on the bed in her hotel room and sighed heavily. Her eyes stung and were raw after all the crying she had done, and now she found herself unable to shed not even a single tear. She held her mothers locket in her hand and tightly grasped it as she closed her eyes, her silent prayers of wishing her mother was still alive echoing deep in her mind. She remained like this deep into the night, lost in her own misery until another voice pulled her out of her thoughts. Once Aelia acknowledged the voice, her body suddenly felt as if it were bound to something sticky and could not move. She struggled until finally she had no more fight left in her, and looked around for an answer when suddenly she came face to face with what looked like a giant shadow of a spider. It crawled closer to her until finally it stopped.

"A woman in need of a demons help? Why, I've never heard of such a thing."

Aelia frowned. "Who are you and why are you doing this to me?"

"You called for me so I answered by bringing you here, deep into your subconscious mind so we could speak. Now tell me, why did you summon me? Who is it you want to punish?"

The girl frowned, her brows knitting together at his question.

"I don't want to punish anyone."

There was a dark yet seductive chuckle that followed her answer. "If there were none to be punished, then you would not have reached out for me."

"But I..." Aelia fell silent for a moment before narrowing her eyes.

"If you will not be needing my help, then it is pointless for me to remain here."

"It was him."

With no response given by the male voice, Aelia took that as her cue to continue. The sudden change in her demeanor yanked Claude's attention back onto the topic at hand, causing him to become curious about the human girl dangled before him.

"Samson, my step-father."

There was an amused smirk that somehow managed to show on the giant shadow spider. "You wish to attain revenge against this man? Call it out. Scream for it."

"I want..." Aelia clenched her fists into tight balls before looking up at the spider. "I want to get my revenge!"

Images of Elizabeth's smiling face flashed through her mind. Deep down, Aelia blamed Samson for her mother's sadness and for being the cause of her suicide. The man stripped her of everything, and now she finally had the opportunity to get even.

She would avenge her mother's death, even if that meant selling her soul to a demon.

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**Anddd clear! 2AM and I'm finally done!**

**I'm kind of pleased with how this chapter turned out. Yes, there's A LOT of time skipping, but hopefully I caught the interest of at least one person. If not, I'm still writing this. Readers or not, I want this story to be finished for the sake of all the Claude fans out there!**

**The next chapter we will see a lot more of Claude, promise! :)**

**I would love to read and answer your questions if you have any, so please feel free to leave a review!**

**Tataa for now~**


	2. Claude Faustus, Her Demon Knight

**So... I'm in one of my "GOTTA UPDATE, GOTTA WRITE MORE CHAPTERS!" moods right now, so here's chapter two? LOOL :)**

**This was supposed to be posted yesterday but I... kinda got distracted... Yeah... *tosses FFX under my bed to hide it from my readers* ^_^;;**

**ANYWAYS, enjoy! :D**

**[SEPT 7 EDIT]; This chappy has been edited! **

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**Magnificence**

**CH II; Claude Faustus, Her Demon Knight**

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"So your name is Claude Faustus?" Aelia looked at the demon sitting across from her with a shameless amount of curiosity shining in her eyes. "That's a cool name."

Claude fixed his glasses and eyed the girl carefully. "It was a name given to me long ago and it is simply that, a name."

Aelia frowned slightly.

Claude had appeared briefly after creating the contract with Aelia, having appeared by her bedside in his usual clean-cut, tailored tail coat. When the girl first looked up at him and took in his appearance, she was dazzled and captivated by his features. Claude was admittedly one the most handsome men she had ever set eyes on. For being a demon as old as he would be, he had a very young appearance. Claude was tall; much taller than her mere five-foot stature. Midnight blue-black hair, a sharp, handsome face and cold yellow eyes. This man was truly a sight to behold. His handsome and clean appearance was accompanied by a rather sultry voice laced with an emotionless undertone.

Aelia had never met someone quite like Claude before, having only been allowed on minimal occasions when Samson was feeling generous. She would mingle with the children her age and talk with their older siblings, discovering more about them and would try to get down to the very core. Individual personalities fascinated Aelia even as a child, and often found herself comparing them to her own.

"Now tell me," Claude interrupted Aelia's train of thought and brought her attention back to him. "Tell me more about the person you would like to punish."

Aelia's eyes fell to the floor and she inhaled deeply before replying. "His name is Samson Valda. He's my step-father and the biological father to my two siblings," She paused before meeting Claude's emotionless golden eyes. "After I was born and it was more than obvious I was not sired by him, he became distant and very violent towards my mother and when I became old enough to fully understand what was going on, he turned to me and thrashed me like I was a slave.

"My siblings did all they could for me growing up and tried to help, but it was no use. Although I got the full brunt of his rage at times, it was my mother that suffered more than I. On nights where it was thundering and I couldn't sleep, she would tell me stories of how loving Samson could be, and that he was capable of being a very loving father. Of course being as young as I was, I wanted to believe her and always tried to find the best in him even as he took his anger out on me."

Aelia's eyes fell to the floor and she avoided Claude's eyes once more. "I was four when my mother committed suicide," She paused and glanced over to her bag. "I still have the letter she wrote addressing all of her children, and the one she left for me."

"I see," Claude sat back comfortably in his seat as he watched the girl intently. "What was the real reason for your mothers decision?"

"I haven't read the letter yet," Aelia admitted. "Even after all this time, I still can't bring myself to even break the seal."

Claude's eyes narrowed a touch. "It is a weakness like that, that will keep us from moving forward with your wish."

"I know," She sighed deeply before looking up at him once more. "Give me a few days, and then I will read it."

The handsome demon nodded his head curtly. "As you wish, my lady."

There was a thick silence that wafted through the room as the two stared at each other.

Claude observed his new master quite carefully. She was a tiny, young woman with extremely long charcoal colored hair matched with bright crimson eyes. He would have admitted her to her beauty had he not detested humans so much. However, there was a strange scent that floated off her skin, and Claude couldn't put his finger on whatever it was.

The demon would also not openly admit that she reminded him of someone very powerful back where he came from, and bore even a likeness to the person in physical detail. The thought of his new master looking so much like _her_ even startled him.

With a question dangling off the tip of his tongue and the sudden curiosity stabbing at him, Claude could not help himself but to inquire.

"Miss Valda," Claude broke the silence and drew Aelia's attention to him once more. "Can you tell me the name of your biological father?"

Her eyes seemed to cast themselves off into a distant place as she sank back in her seat. "I don't know... Mother never told me who he was or even gave me a name. The only thing she ever said about him was I resembled him very much, and shared the same eyes and hair as he."

Claude gave a subtle nod. "I see."

Aelia went to speak once more when a loud banging came from the other side of main door. Her lips pulled into a frown as she stood up to go answer it, slowly walking around where Claude was seated to go and open the door. Her eyes peered out the door cautiously, and soon she was faced with five large men who smirked down at her tiny form.

"Can I help you?" Her voice was quiet and she struggled to keep her tone even, not wanting to show how intimidated she was by these men.

The one closest to her smirked deviously and reached out to stroke her cheek with his dirty hands.

"Ah yes," His voice was raw with lust as his eyes raked over her body. "'e was right boys, she's ain't that good lookin' but she'll do."

Aelia slapped his hand away quickly before backing up. "W-Who are you?"

"We was sent here as a reward for helpin' Samson wit' somethin' from a long time ago," One by one, each man walked through the door pushing Aelia farther back into the room. "We was told we would find ya here in this dingy hotel and now we want ya to service us."

Dark chuckles rumbled and cackled from behind the assailant as Aelia frowned deeply. "Samson sent you? But how did he know I was here?"

"That ugly little thing down at the main desk told us ya'd be up 'ere," Quickly, the man reached down for his belt buckle. "Now be a good lass and strip for us, would d'ya?"

"I'm afraid Miss Valda will not be your means of entertainment tonight, gentleman."

Aelia watched with wide eyes as Claude stepped front of her, his much taller form shielding her from the dirty, lust-filled eyes of the five standing before them.

"And jus' who are you?" The man pulled his hands away from his now open belt and glared up angrily at Claude. "We was promised a night wiff tha lady, so get the fuck outta 'ere."

Claude's eyes narrowed. "Such vulgar language," There was a sudden movement and in the blink of an eye, one of the men was sent flying across the room and sent crashing into the wall. "I believe you all need to be taught how to behave like proper gentleman when in front of a lady."

Aelia watched as Claude mercilessly beat the five down until they were left with only enough strength to run out of the room. While her breathing returned to normal, her knees still had yet to cease their quaking. Claude walked to the door and closed it before turning around and returning to Aelia's side.

"Young miss," He placed a hand gently on the girls back and ushered her to the bed. "Perhaps some rest would be an appropriate choice for the rest of this evening?"

She looked up at him and nodded slowly, her eyes feeling heavy. "Yes."

"Shall I prepare a bath for you?"

Aelia shook her head. "No, that won't be necessary for tonight. Maybe in the morning?"

The tall butler nodded and ushered the petite woman to the other side of the room. Aelia allowed Claude to walk her to the bed, pausing only for him to yank the blankets back in time for her to sink down onto the mattress. Ever so gently, Claude carefully reached around her and unlaced the back of her dress before bringing his hands forward once more to ease his fingers down the front enough to break the main lace to her corset. Aelia, suddenly too tired to object to Claude's hands down by her breasts, sighed in relief as the dastardly corset became completely loose allowing her to breathe properly and relax.

Quickly reaching for one of her two bags settled on the floor to the side of her bed, Claude fished around until he found a rather large nightgown and pulled it out. Aelia looked up at him with her cheeks burning bright, even more so as he proceeded to remove her dress.

Her increased breathing and fiery cheeks did not go unnoticed by Claude. "Miss Aelia, would you prefer if I left the room for you to change?"

Her eyes quickly shifted to the other side as she murmured for him to proceed while she mentally chanted over and over that this would be part of having Claude be her butler, her protector, and to ease her mind that it was all business-related. Nodding, Claude lifted her up only long enough to remove the dress and set it beside her before gently pulling the corset off her completely.

Aelia couldn't bring herself to look up at him. This was the first time she had ever been almost fully nude in front of a man before, and somehow, she felt comfortable. Even when she could feel his eyes travel down the length of her body, the awkwardness she anticipated never came. Instead, she felt... _honored_?

_It's because Claude is a demon._ She told herself, feeling somewhat silly at her own vague answer.

"My, my," Claude leaned in and eased the gown over her head, "What lovely skin you have."

"T-Thank you..." Aelia glanced at him and noticed his eyes were on her.

The demon loomed over her, easily pushing her down with little resistance and pulled the covers up to her neck before tucking her in. His eyes immediately flickered to her face only to find her own shut and he became aware of her low, steady breathing.

Claude pulled away from the bedside and walked to the middle of the room. "This simply will not do," His eyes traveled around the room and he sighed deeply. "A change of scenery will be most beneficial to my new young master," He eyed the ripped corset and the hand-me-down dress still splayed out on the bed. "A new wardrobe will also be required."

The tall butler walked to the door before turning around to give Aelia one more look. Using his fingers, Claude strings out a massive web of spider threads around the room to make sure the girl was properly protected in his absence before quickly and silently leaving the room.

**\- x - x - x -**

"Wow! This place is massive!" Aelia's face was pressed up against the glass of the carriage as they pulled up to the former Trancy manor. "Do you know the people that live here, Claude?"

His lips pulled back into an eerie grin. "Of course I do. This mansion belonged to my old master, and now that he has passed on, the entire estate belongs to me."

Aelia looked at Claude with wide eyed and mouth open in shock. "Really? This is unbelievable... I've never been to a place this big before!"

As the carriage came to a halt, Claude got up and opened the door before turning and offering his hand to Aelia. She blushed and took it, carefully grabbing her skirt and climbing down. Once she driver made sure that their luggage was off the back, he set off and left the two on their own.

Claude carried all of Aelia's bags up the stairs and even managed to open the front doors for her, stepping aside for her to walk in first.

"Welcome to your new home, Miss Aelia."

Aelia walked in timidly and looked around taking in all of her surroundings. The entire foyer of the manor was massive. Two stair cases looped around against the far wall in crescent shape with a huge entry into the next room at the very top. There was also a set of double doors underneath the stair case in the middle as well.

"Wow..." Aelia's eyes were huge. "This is amazing!"

Claude wasted no time in showing her around. On the grand tour of her new abode, he showed here where the dining area was, and where the study had been moved to (compliments of Claude's demonic powers, of course). With a promise to show her the vast garden expanse tomorrow morning, Claude brought Aelia back towards the main half of the manor and turned right. Eventually the two found their way to the master suite located at the other end of the manor. Aelia watched as Claude opened the door and stood aside, allowing her first entry and for her to look around.

"I-Is this my room?" Aelia looked up at Claude in shock. "I can't possibly stay in this room, Claude. It's much too fancy and large!"

"Nonsense," Claude dismissed her objections and walked passed her to set all of her luggage by one of the three night tables. "This room is more than suited for you, my young master."

Aelia's cheeks flushed a pale pink. "I wish you wouldn't call me that."

"Do you wish for me to address you as something else, Miss Aelia?" Claude looked at her with curiosity pooled in his golden eyes.

Aelia offered him a small smile. "Just calling me by my first name is fine."

"As you wish, Miss Aelia." Claude immediately went to work and began putting all of her clothing away, both old and new. "I must tell you, that there are a set of triplets here that are a part of the housekeeping, and will be more than happy to tend to your needs when I am not present."

Aelia walked around the room poking around so she could memorize every detail and nodded. "Okay."

As if on cue, the three purple-haired triplets filed into the room and stood at attention, each bowing respectively in front of Aelia. She looked over at them and blinked before walking to the three.

Claude walked over and eyed them all carefully. "You may speak only to introduce yourselves to Miss Aelia and then after doing so you may proceed with your chores."

Each one nodded and all three eyed Aelia with their red orbs.

"Names' Canterbury!"

"I'm Thompson!"

"And I'm Timber."

Aelia grinned and watched them all. "You three are adorable."

"Thank you, Miss Aelia!" They all yelled at once before bowing once more.

Out of the corner of her eye, Aelia caught sight of Claude dismissing them with a nasty look crossing his eyes and a wave of his gloved hand. Once the three had scattered out of the room, she turned to him and looked up at him with a questioning gaze.

"Were you in charge here when your former master resided here?" Aelia's head tilted to the side.

Claude looked down at her. "As butler of the Trancy manor, I was given the task of keeping all those who served my master in line and making sure they completed their work," A sinister flicker passed through his eyes and the corners of his lips pulled back into a handsome smile. "I was also in charge of disciplining those who did not failed to follow orders or did not complete their tasks."

Aelia frowned. "I see," She stepped forward and couldn't help but reach up to place a hand flat against his chest. "Are you still that cruel?"

"I am a demon, Miss Aelia. Surely you must already know the answer to that question," His answer was straightforward and harsh just as she believed it would be.

With a sigh, Aelia pulled away from him and looked around the room to avoid making eye contact with him. A few moments later, Claude announced that it would be time for tea and that he would prepare her some more comfortable clothing should she wish. When she nodded, she allowed Claude to give her similar treatment like back at the hotel room and did not protest as he stripped her down to her under garments, replacing her dress with a more forgiving evening gown.

**\- x - x - x -**

"For today's selection we have a simple Earl Grey tea," Claude expertly poured the steaming liquid into a fancy cup before setting it down in front of Aelia. "Do you have any other preferences that I should know about for future reference, Miss Aelia?"

Aelia shook her head before carefully picking up the cup as if it were the most fragile thing she'd ever touched before. "Not really. I've never really had much of a choice growing up, so maybe you can surprise me with all of the different kinds?"

Claude nodded and gracefully brought his hand up to his chest and bowed his head. "As you wish, Miss Aelia."

"Claude," She paused before looking at him. "Why must you be so formal?"

"As long as you hold the contract, you are my master and I your humble butler," Came the simple response. "Besides, what kind of butler would I be if I did not show my young master the respect she deserves?"

Aelia's cheeks burned at that last bit. "Oh..."

Later on that evening, Aelia had disappeared into the study and rummaged around one of the many bookshelves for anything that looked like a good read. Before she could have anything picked out, one of the triplets barged in through the door looking as if he were trying to catch something.

Aelia quickly turned around and went wide eyed. "Be careful!"

Darting forward, Canterbury whipped out his arms in order to catch the unidentified flying breakable, only to miss it by an mere inch and watched as it crashed onto the floor. Quicker than ever, he rushed to go collect a broom and dust pan, having bowed several times in apology to a surprised Aelia. She watched his retreating for with concern for a moment having heard Claude's words from their earlier conversation repeat over in her head. Giving herself a shake, she kneeled down and began to pick up the larger pieces of glass and piled them neatly to the side.

Claude, having heard the sound of breaking glass, rushed to the room and looked in to see Aelia picking up the pieces. "Miss Aelia, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," She smiled up at him. "Canterbury just went to go and get a broom, so I figured I would– Ow, damn it!"

Claude's eyes trailed down to the blood trickling down Aelia's finger and walked over to her. "Come with me and I will clean that up for you. The triplets can take care of this on their own."

The objection caught in Aelia's throat as she felt herself being hoisted off the ground in a way a man would carry his bride. Claude walked out of the room and towards her bedroom.

"Really Claude, it's not that bad," Aelia insisted, having been set on her bed to wait for Claude to return with a cloth.

Once Claude reappeared, he shook his head and walked over to her. "I insist," He knelt down on one knee in front of the girl and began cleaning the blood off her finger.

Aelia watched intensely as Claude ever so gently tended to her injured appendage. The was an obvious hint of blood lust in his eyes and another emotion she could not quite put her finger on. Before she could stop herself, the words suddenly flew from her mouth like a machine gun.

"Is my blood bothering you?" She frowned, watching as he tensed at her question.

Claude paused for a moment before continuing his work. "It appeals to me, but it is nothing I cannot manage to keep under control."

"Do you..." Aelia's face turned bright red. "Want to taste it?"

Yellow met red as he stared up at her with a questioning, hard gaze.

"I mean, since you're going to be with me for a while and eventually you're going to eat my soul... If this is how you feed yourself, then please..."

_How considerate of her._ Claude thought to himself. _I would not expect any less from such an innocent soul like hers._

"If that is what you wish, then I will do as I am asked," Claude continued to look into her eyes. "Conveniently enough, as a demon I possess healing qualities when I so choose to use them."

Aelia flinched slightly. "It won't hurt... Will it?"

Claude gave a shake of his head and fixed her hand in his own so he had easy access to the still bleeding finger. He motioned for her to be still and began to lean forward, lips slightly a part and senses eager at the offer of a free taste. Aelia watched intensely and felt a strange wave of excitement and some other unknown feeling crash over her when Claude's lips met her skin. The foreign feeling only seemed to intensify as his tongue darted out and swiped across the wound several times before he finally fulled away. During this entire encounter, Aelia's breathing had become hard and her bottom lip was currently wedged between her teeth.

_As I suspected._ Claude's eyes narrowed slightly and watched as the wound began to seal shut. _She is, without a doubt, one of their relatives._

* * *

**Soooo, how'd you all like that little snippet at the end, huh? ;D**

**I figured since I've been making you all wait long enough that I would put some not-so-intense scene somewhere in this. You will find that my version of Claude later on in the series will eventually become a little more lusty, so I'm giving y'all a fair warning now. Why he will become like this, I'm not going to say but I hope you'll all get a kick out of it. ;)**

**Anyways, I loves you guys all THISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS much, and I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!**

**Please leave a comment and rate if you enjoyed, and I will see you all in the next thing that I write!**

**Tataa for now~**


	3. Change of Plans

**Well, I'm starting my new (hopefully better) updating strategy with assigning days to certain stories. Magnificence is set to update on Tuesday or Friday, but unfortunately I was busy on both of those days, so here it is on the same day set to release an update for One Way Ticket. :)**

**Also, I want to give a BIGGG thank you to RomanoLindsey, cielxbassy and Mini for your comments! :)**

**[SEPT 7 EDIT]; This chapter has now been eidted~ Woot! :D**

* * *

**Magnificence**

**CH III; Change Of Plans**

* * *

The next couple of days flew by in a blur. Aelia had to adjust to a new routine, and the fact that she was not the one who had to tend to daily chores like when she lived in the Valda household. The triplets had become quite attached to Aelia in the passing days, often keeping within a nearby radius of her despite Claude's threats and punishments due to lack of productivity on their part. When Aelia would always voice her sudden distaste for Claude's scolding, he would always find some way to pacify the girl with his suave ways or ingenious negotiations. The latest temptation had been for Claude to accompany Aelia as she took one of the stabled horses on a ride around the gardens.

It was a beautiful sunny morning when Aelia woke up before Claude became present in her room. She sat up and stretched her arms out with a yawn before tossing the covers off herself and swung her legs over to the side.

"I see you're already up," Claude entered the room unannounced as per usual and walked over to her a beautiful blue dress in his arms. "Have you been sleeping well, Miss Aelia?"

Aelia smiled and nodded. "I have. I'm just excited for today, that's all!"

Claude nodded and set the dress aside before gently undressing her and preparing her for the dress he had chosen for her to wear as she rode sidesaddle. Aelia's cheeks tinged a light pink as she felt Claude's eyes travel the entirety of her body, drinking in every detail as if to memorize it. She could feel the light touches of his fingers innocently dancing down her arms as he slowly slid the nightshirt off her body.

"C-Claude..." Aelia inhaled sharply.

Breaking out of the trance-like state he was falling into, Claude looked up at Aelia and bowed his head before standing up. "Forgive me, Miss Aelia."

With that careful gentleness that was reserved only for Aelia, Claude hooked his hands under her arms and listed her to her feet. Seconds later, he began lacing up the corset he had produced from thin air.

Aelia inhaled sharply as he tightened a lace in particular that sent a sharp pain up her back. "I wish women did not have to wear these cursed things!"

"Unfortunately it is a necessary evil," Claude stated in his ever famous monotone voice. "Would you prefer I not tighten it?"

Aelia nodded quickly. "That would be lovely."

"As you wish."

**\- x - x - x -**

It was getting close to midday when Aelia was finished with her horseback riding, allowing Canterbury to take the gentle black steed she had been riding to the stable. Claude, who had been walking along side her the entire time, helped her down and was now walking with her back to the large glass doors that would bring them to another lobby near the back of the manor.

"You've been awful quiet, Claude," Aelia looked up at him with those wide, innocent eyes of hers. "Is there something wrong? Something I should know about?"

Claude glanced down at her from the corner of his eye before reaching up adjust his glasses. "Of course not, Miss Aelia."

"Then why have you been so quiet?" She pressed. "For the last few days that you and I have been in this contract, you always had something to talk about."

"I can assure you, Miss, that I am perfectly fine," Claude looked down at her now. "May I inquire as to why you would be so concerned about someone like me?"

Aelia smiled. "Well, for one, you happen to be the only one I speak to now on a regular basis. And lastly, if my words aren't too bold... I happen to like the sound of your voice."

"I see," This amused Claude more than he would ever care to admit. "Now that I think about it, there is a pressing matter that would need to be brought to your attention eventually. If you wish for me to reveal the matter now, I will."

Aelia stopped walking and looked up at him with her brows knit. "Pressing matter? Is it something I should be worried about?"

"Of course not," Claude turned around so he was facing her. "In fact, I believe the information I am about to reveal to you may change the way you look at life for the better."

His words strummed Aelia's curiosity like a skilled guitarist.

Aelia nodded slowly and felt her cheeks flush as Claude offered his arm to her much like a gentleman would to his lady. Without hesitation, she looped her own arm around his and let him guide her back inside and up to her bedroom. Once she was changed into something more comfortable and suitable for lounging, Claude left her in Thompson's care and instructed that he take her to the study while he tended to her afternoon snack and tea. Without any further instruction, Thompson bowed out of respect and opened the door, stepping aside for Aelia to go first.

"You know Thompson, I've never heard you speak before. Come to think of it," Aelia paused as she looked up at the triplet with blinking eyes. "I haven't heard any of you speak."

Thompson looked down at her and offered her a huge smile before opening the door to the study, allowing her to walk in first before bowing politely and disappearing down the hall.

Aelia blinked. "Okay then."

Aelia walked over to the desk and took a seat on the fancy chair, allowing the plushy red fabric to sink her back into a comfortable position while she waited for Claude.

"Claude," Aelia's traveled across the room towards the door as the demon entered the study pushing a silver cart. "Why do none of the triplets speak?"

Claude stopped at the side of the desk and reached up to fix his glasses. "The triplets have a very vulgar, unmannerly way of speaking. If you heard them for yourself, you would understand why I have demanded them remain silent."

"Oh, I see..." Aelia's brows knit.

"For this afternoon, I have prepared for you a lovely Japanese dessert called Sakuramochi. It is mostly popular for celebrating the birthday of young women, hence the light pink color," Claude announced as he set a beautiful looking dessert down in front of Aelia. "At your recent request, I have also prepared for you a simple green tea."

Aelia stared down at the unique looking dessert, noting how the lovely oval shaped rice cake was covered with a dark green leaf. A smile graced her face as she looked up at Claude, quickly thanking him before picking up the delicate creation and took a bite, letting the flavors to waft through her mouth and down her throat.

"Thank you for this, Claude," Aelia looked up at him with a smile. "You never cease to amaze me. This is absolutely delicious!"

Claude felt his lips twitch into a small smile as he gave a graceful bow. "Your compliments are most flattering, Miss Aelia."

She smiled and continued to eat until she was finished. Once she began sipping her tea, she gave Claude a look that told him that she was waiting for him to reveal the information he had ever so kindly gave a teaser for.

"So Claude..." Aelia leaned forward so her elbows were resting against the desk. "Care to tell me more about this so-called "life changing" information you spoke of?"

Claude stood tall. "Of course."

Aelia stared at the demon butler in anticipation as he composed himself and pondered on how to approach the topic without scaring his new young master.

"The reason that I had originally chosen to withhold this information is because of the meaning behind the truth of it all," Claude began. "To start, I should inform you that your blood is not of a normal human."

Aelia blinked. "My blood?"

"To be quite honest, you remind me of someone from the world in which I come from. She was a very powerful and feared demoness named Zelina Urbana," Claude's eyes locked on Aelia's own wide ones. "You bear a striking resemblance to her, and also have a similar scent to that bloodline."

Aelia frowned in confusion. "How can I have a scent like a demon when I am human?"

"Your blood is not fully human," Claude's words cut into Aelia like a hot blade into butter. "When you allowed me to taste your blood I was able to make the conclusion that you are not fully human, nor were you meant to remain in your human state."

"But... How is that possible?" Aelia sank back in her seat, her eyes unblinking.

Claude watched her closely and continued. "I had my suspicions about you when I first laid eyes on you," He confessed. "The short story you gave to me about the love affair your mother had when you were conceived intrigued me, so I went out to retrieve some information and was able to attain what I had been searching for."

"Which is?" Aelia whispered softly, continuing to stare at her demon butler in shock.

"The identity of your biological father."

Aelia's body went rigid and the corner of her eyes watered at Claude's words.

Her father.

Claude found her father.

"H-How?"

Claude bowed his head politely. "First I must ask for forgiveness for prying in matters to which I am not involved in," Aelia gave no response but a simple nod before Claude continued. "As I have previously stated, you bare a striking resemblance to the late Zelina."

"Who was she?" Aelia spoke quietly.

"She was the daughter of Felix and Amelia Urbana," Claude began. "You could say they were as close to royalty as my world could possibly hope to have. Customs follow similar principle in my world, and as it turns out, Zelina had a child out of wedlock with her true mate. The rumors surrounding the name or identity of her child remain simply rumors, but those who have followed such things since her death believe the man who is your biological father, is her son."

Aelia nodded slowly. "So, this Zelina woman was possibly my aunt?"

"Correct," Claude adjusted his spectacles out of force of habit.

The girl's eyes traveled down towards the desk and she sat there in silence for a moment to allow all of the information to fully sink in.

"What is his name?" Aelia muttered out softly. "What is my father's name?"

"Sorben. Sorben Taavi Urbana," Claude replied.

Aelia felt the corners of her mouth tug as she allowed a small smile to spread across her face.

_My father... I know my father's name now._

Claude observed her intensely. Tears streamed down her face and the smile she bore grew bigger and bigger with each passing moment. He could hear the way her heart pattered like a machine gun with the excitement of the reveal.

"There is also another matter which we must discuss before I divulge more information about your father," Claude began, once again catching Aelia's attention. "May I speak out of line for a moment, miss Aelia?"

Aelia frowned slightly. "You may..."

"Since you are of demonic descent, it would be wise for you to be turned. In order for this to be accomplished, you will need to figure out whether you wish to keep our current contract in full gauge or to adjust it."

"What do you mean by that?" Aelia sat up straight. "You mean, once I am a demon, the contract will be broken?"

Claude nodded. "Exactly. It is unusual for a demon to be tied in a contract with another of their kind, so it would be wise for you to make a decision."

"So," Aelia bit her bottom lip. "What are my options?"

"You have two choices," Claude looked down at her. "Your first option is to complete your goal and to fulfill the contract to the agreed terms, meaning that once your step father has been killed our contract will come to a close."

"But if I choose that option, you will eat my soul," Aelia's brows knit. "How is that an option to become a demon?"

"That answer ties into your second option, Miss Aelia," Claude adjusted his spectacles. "Instead of going through with what was agreed firstly, we can alter the arrangements and adjust the contract to suit the new situation."

"And what exactly would those terms be?"

There was a mischievous glint in Claude's eyes that caught Aelia's attention. "Should you choose to accept my new terms Miss Aelia, I will personally see to it your revenge is complete," When Aelia made no comment and he knew she was at his full attention, he continued.

"The new terms for a new contract would remain similar to the one we have now. You will remain human until your eighteenth birthday, by which time you have undergone all necessary endeavors and I will have fulfilled my half of the contract. On that day, I will deliver to you your father and you will then accept a mating proposal to determine when you will be turned."

Aelia's breath hitched. "Mating proposal? What's that?"

"It means that should a suitor ask for your hand, you will be inclined to accept that proposal," Claude answered.

"But I don't know of any demons who would wish for my hand," Aelia frowned.

"Ah," Claude gave a dashing smile. "What better demon to ask for your hand than myself?"

Aelia's face lit bright red as she stared at Claude in disbelief. "Y-You want to marry me?"

"As it turns out, I have grown a strong attachment to you in such a short period of time," Claude placed a hand on his chest much like the gesture he used when bowing.

"These next couple of years will prove to only increase this connection. Should you wish to accept the terms of the new contract, I would be most honored to provide the necessary arrangements and see to it your transition goes pleasantly."

Aelia continued to stare at Claude in silence before slowly pushing herself up off the chair. She made her way around the desk towards the demon only to stop and watch and he gracefully bowed down, kneeling down one knee with the same hand still placed on the left side of his chest.

"So does this mean you do not wish to consume my soul?" Aelia looked down at him, her hand grasping the edge of her desk to keep herself stable.

Claude did not look up to meet her eye. "It is not something a demon chooses often, but I see a better future for a soul like yours and wish to give you an opportunity to choose life over death."

"But I will become a demon," She walked closer to him. "Isn't death the same as becoming something inhuman?"

Claude looked up at her and watched as she sank down on her knees. Teary red eyes met cold yellow ones as they stared at one another for what seemed like forever.

"You will be much more than that, Miss Aelia," Claude reached forward to cup her cheek. "You will be magnificent."

She allowed herself to reach further to his touch, leaning against his hand and reaching up to cup her own over his.

"I'll do it," Aelia breathed slowly. "I'll alter the contract to your new terms, but only on one condition."

Claude's brow rose slightly, signalling for Aelia to continue.

"I do not want to wait until then to meet my father. I wish for you to either bring him here or take me to him sooner than later," She paused. "Only then, will I agree to your terms."

"Unfortunately, I am afraid that tracking Sorben down will not be that simple, even for someone like me," Claude gave the solemn reply. "Your father has always been one to remain in the shadows, and will continue as such until he wishes to be reunited with you."

Aelia frowned deeply. "You can't find him?"

"Not at this time," Claude shook his head. "I can only promise to help track him down once your revenge has been completed."

The girl before him took a moment to think over his words before nodding slowly, seeing no other immediate option other than to agree with Claude.

This pleased the demon greatly.

"Excellent. Now, Miss Aelia," He gently pried his hand away from her and pulled off the glove covering his Faustian contract seal. "If you would please call out the new agreements."

Aelia nodded slowly and inhaled deeply. "I wish for you to remain my butler until my eighteenth birthday, by which time I will have completed my revenge. I will then allow you, Claude Faustus, to turn me into a demon and take your hand."

The skin between her breasts suddenly began to tingle as the new contract seal appeared. There was no turning back now. Aelia was fated to become a creature of darkness, and was to be married to a the dangerous man who would call himself her butler for only a short period of time.

Deep down, Aelia accepted her new status once Claude revealed to her the true nature of her strange appearance and the secrets behind her real father's identity. She finally realized why her mother did what she did, and now came to terms with the unopened letter still waiting for her waiting eyes.

* * *

**Yeah, I know, crappy ending to a slow, boring chapter...**

**I tried! I'm sorry! *bows ten times in a row***

**I promise next chapter will have more to it, and that the story will pick up. I promise! Pinky swear, even!**

**Oh yeah, I had a Guest user message me privately asking is Sebastian and Ciel would be involved in this story. To answer your question Mister or Misses Guest, yes they will be in the story and actually have a significant role to play. I'm hoping it won't be cheesy or lame, but they will be in the story. ;)**

**Also, more will be revealed about Sorben (Aelia's real father) and the reason why Claude wishes to become Aelia's mate. As we all know, there's always a reason for everything, you just gotta be patient. ;)**

**I want to apologize once more for how slow the chapter was and thank you all who have given this a read!**

**Next chapter I've decided to answer any questions in the comments section, so feel free to ask anything you would like pertaining to the story! I won't be able to reveal everything, but I will do my best to give tidbits to hopefully satisfy curiosity.**

**Tataa for now~**


	4. What Is Lost

**I have exciting news for those of you who have been following this story from the beginning, and that is...**

**This is a three-part update! Yes, you heard me! ;D**

**I did a bit of jumping around in this chapter, so please bare with me! Also, in the next couple of updates, I apologize if I put anyone to sleep. They're a little slow. LOOL**

**For today's first update, we see Samson once again. And for those of you who remember, we know what that means. ;)**

**Not gonna lie, this chapter is pretty short... But hey! It's followed by two more, right? RIGHT? ;D**

**[SEPT 7 EDIT]; Chappy has been tweaked and edited! Thankies~ :D**

* * *

**Magnificence**

**CH IV; What Is Lost**

* * *

"Why have you not disclosed the location to where we are travelling, Claude?" Aelia looked at her butler curiously.

Claude, who was sitting across from her in the fancy coach, simply smiled at her.

"As I have told several times this morning Miss Aelia, we are headed to an undisclosed location to meet someone of high importance."

"You're no fun, Claude," Aelia huffed and looked out the window once more. "This person must be special if you won't tell me who it is we are meeting."

_Indeed he is._ Claude thought to himself, a sinister smirk slowly stretching onto his face.

Aelia eyed the demon butler closely before coming to a conclusion due to his changing demeanor. "We're going to see Samson, aren't we?"

Claude gave no reply.

**\- x - x - x -**

Somewhere on the other side of town, Samson paced back and forth as he continuously looked down at his watch. He had been waiting for a man to arrive at this very spot for over an hour, and was beginning to draw nearer to the end of his patience. When he was just about to leave, he finally noticed something approaching in the distance. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a coach with a white horse pulling it come trotting up.

"Finally," Samson growled out.

When the purple haired driver pulled the reins to stop the horse, a door opened and a man clad in black stepped out. Samson could see him speak to another person who must have accompanied him and then closed the door before turning to face him. Samson noted that the man was rather tall and dressed much like a nobleman's butler. His top hat and the high collar of his coat his most of his face from Samson's view, but what he could point out were the mans piercing yellow eyes.

Samson's eyes narrowed slightly as the man began to walk towards him. "Are you Claude Faustus?"

"I am," Claude confirmed. "Your being here would imply that you had received and accepted the terms of my letter?"

Samson pulled out the letter in question and held it tightly in his hand. "Where is she?"

"She will remain out of your sight for the moment," Claude's voice was even and now had a raw added delight mixed into it. "For now, let us discuss things as gentleman."

"What is it you're playing at?" Samson spat out. "I'm not here to play games. If you have that abomination in that carriage with you, I suggest you hand her over so I may finally dispose of her."

Claude narrowed his eyes slightly and repeated. "I am afraid I cannot allow you to lay your eyes on Miss Aelia just yet."

"Stop dodging around and hand her over!" Samson was beginning to lose his temper. "That was the only reason I agreed to meet you here, so honor the details in the letter and hand her over. Now!"

The demon smirked fully at the human. "My my, what a temper you have," He began to advance towards Samson once more. "If you were expecting me to comply with what was written, I am sorry to say that it was all a ruse to get you out in the open."

Samson glared and reached behind himself. "You bastard. She isn't even here, is she?!"

Claude's eyes flickered from the hand that disappeared behind Samson and back to his face. "I strongly recommend you reconsider offence and choose self preservation in this situation."

Ignoring Claude's friendly warning, Samson drew out his gun and aimed it so the bullet would hit the demon directly between the eyes.

"Sod off!" He snarled. "Hand over Aelia or I will shoot you where you stand!"

Claude remained still. "Do as you wish, but know that once you have pulled the trigger, I will have to act on behalf of my young master."

"Young master?" Samson narrowed his eyes. "You can't be serious."

Claude felt like slapping a hand to his forehead and muttering about how idiotic this human was. Had he not listened to what Claude had been saying? The demon addressed her appropriately for her status several times, and still Samson hadn't caught on.

"She is my young master as per our agreement," Claude gave no other details.

Samson went rigid and clicked back the hammer before wrapping a finger around the trigger. "I don't care who you are to her nor do I want to know what you're doing with her. If you want live, hand her over."

"I will give you one more warning," Claude's lips pulled into a grin as if to tempt Samson. "If you choose offence, I will be forced to retaliate."

A loud bang echoed through the entire area as the gun fired. The bullet shot through the air and landed where it was intended to and instantly Claude was sent crumpling to the ground. Blood trailed down both sides of his nose and his eyes dulled into a pale yellow as he lay there unconscious. The carriage door flew open at the sound as Aelia jumped out from the protection of the coach running to Claude's side. She fell to her knees at his side and shook him as she said his name, tears brimming the waterline of her eyes.

"Claude..." She fought to keep the tears at bay. "Don't you dare die on me."

Aelia looked to the side as footsteps could be heard approaching her. Her eyes narrowed as she stood up and turned to fully face her step father, finding that the gun was now aimed directly at her.

"Finally decided to stop being a coward and face me yourself?" Aelia snapped at him.

Samson narrowed his eyes. "Well, if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself."

"Ah yes," She grit out. "Those men you sent after me the day you kicked me out weren't efficient enough for the job, huh?"

He ignored her words and glanced at the lifeless man laying on the ground near her feet. "Did you bribe him like a whore to follow and protect you?"

Aelia felt her temper boil. Any other could insult her in ways that would normally insult your common or average woman would normally never bother her, but to call her a whore was crossing a line that was not meant to be breached. It was as if the wind had shifted and brought a changing force with it as Samson watched Aelia's facial expression turn stony and her eyes began to shine with hate.

"Claude," Aelia's voice held a powerful tone to it. "It's time for you to stop playing and to honor your half of the contract."

Samson was about to laugh when he saw the man he had just shot in the head rise to his feet. He began dusting himself off and looked perfectly fine, as if nothing had happened.

"My apologies, Miss Aelia," Claude bowed politely before turning his attention back to Samson. "If you would be so kind as to call out the orders?"

Aelia's eyes locked onto Samson. "As my butler, you must honor the contract and do as I say," The demon behind her began to smirk as his eyes lit up to a vibrant fuchsia. "Attack Samson until he is close to his death and then bring him before me."

"As you wish, my young master," Claude bowed once more before walking passed her, his hand reaching up to remove his spectacles to fold them and place them away in his breast pocket.

Samson began to fire the gun repeatedly until the bullets ran out and found his heart beat increase along with his fear as Claude elegantly dodged each projectile. Claude suddenly rushed forward to grab Samson by the neck and hauled him off the ground.

"Now then, shall we begin?" Claude's voice was full of amusement as were his eyes.

Had Claude not had a crushing hold on Samson's throat, he would have screamed in pain as the demon produced golden knives from the innards of his jacket and stabbed him in all the major arteries. The human thrashed hard but to no avail, having suffered several more stab wounds in all his most sensitive pressure points and also important internal organs. Several torturous minutes later, Claude turned to Aelia with a half-conscious Samson still dangling in his grasp.

Aelia gathered her skirt in her hand and walked forward as Claude dropped Samson carelessly on the ground before her.

"I loved you like a father despite all of the negativity that surrounded what could have been a beautiful relationship between father and child," Aelia frowned and knelt down in front of Samson as he drew in desperate breaths. "You did this."

Samson looked up at her with hate filled eyes and croaked some incoherent words out in response to her words.

Aelia took a deep breath before reaching forward to grab his chin roughly and forced his attention on her. "I was prepared to forgive you even after your attempt at having me murdered, but there is one reason that makes that all impossible. Do you know what it is?"

He shakily reached back and threw his hand towards her as hard as his weak body could, only to have his wrist caught by Claude.

"I blame you for my mother's death," Aelia stared deeply into his eyes. "That is why I will never forgive you. You took away from me the only person that ever truly loved and accepted me for being what I am."

There was a moment of silence that Aelia gave for Samson to make his final plea, but was given only more silence. The man continued to stare hatefully at her, even as she stood up and looked at Claude.

"It's time," Aelia looked down at Samson before turning away. "Dispose of his body when you are finished."

"As you wish," Claude reached down and slipped his hand around the side of Samson's face before forcefully twisting his head to the side, followed by a sickening snapping sound.

Aelia flinched and closed her eyes tightly to regain her composure before walking to the coach, where Canterbury was waiting to open the door and help her inside. She looked at him and gave him a grateful smile and took the hand he offered as she stepped into the coach. Once she was seated, Canterbury closed the door and took his spot on the perch, grabbing the reins and sitting back to wait for Claude's return.

Aelia looked at Claude as he entered the coach and took a seat across from her. She noticed he was not wearing his usual white gloves and his trademark spectacles were still missing.

"It's done?"

Claude looked at her as he pulled out a fresh pair of gloves from his pockets and slipped them on his hands. "It has been taken care of."

* * *

**Sorry it was so short. Be prepared for the next one though, because it's coming out shortly! :)**

**After a few chapters I will actually put a detailed blurb about how Aelia really feels about the death of her step father. I know I left nothing of how she felt and that it was quick for the most part, but I have a second half of this entire chapter coming up later on.**

**Stay tuned for the second update! :D**

**Tataa for now~**


	5. Memories

**So here is update number two!**

**...**

**Updating two stories has never become so difficult in one day. LOOL *sweatdrops cuz she also updated The Deal today***

**ANYWAYS!**

**Today we do a bit of time skipping and get right down to business, as I want to skip the boring chiz and jump right into it. I'm also taking advantage of making Claude a tad OOC in the next chapter, so I apologize for that in advance if that bothers anyone!**

**[SEPT 7 EDIT]; Yep, my procrastinating ass is finally editing and now it's done! LOOL! :D**

* * *

**Magnificence**

**CH V; Memories**

* * *

_"Remember this, my love," A smooth, sultry voice whispered into her ear with a kind of gentle only reserved for the most precious of things. "If ever you should choose to end your life, think of me while holding this," He held something delicate and shiny in his hand; a gold locket. "and I will come running."_

_Hazel eyes looked up into bright red orbs as he spoke. "The locket?" Her brows furrowed. "Sorben, what do you mean?"_

_A deep chuckle sounded out from the back of his throat and his hand reached up to caress her cheek softly. "In time you will know, Elizabeth. I promise."_

_With that, he placed a gentle kiss to her lips before reluctantly blacking out that night from her mind until the time was right for her to remember once more._

**\- x - x - x -**

Elizabeth held the locket in her hand and stared down at it, her eyes void of emotion as she internally cried out and screamed his name. Slowly over time, she had begun to remember the events that lead her up to this point. Those things formerly blacked out were now brighter than day, becoming clearer and revealing promises once ushered to her in soft whispers. It was when she had given birth to Aelia, that all those memories became crystal clear. It was her eyes. They were like a key to the lock she so desperately tried to open. How could she possibly forget those glowing, piercing red eyes?

Aelia was his spitting image, and deep down, that made her heart flutter. Elizabeth had fallen in love with Sorben, but reluctantly chose to stay by her husbands side. "The children," she would say, "I have to stay for my children". Elizabeth knew she could handle it. The woman prided herself on her strong will and ability to keep herself stable through any situation.

Around the middle of Aelia's fourth year, Elizabeth had grown weaker.

Her mental stability had been fractured and was now breaching a very sensitive borderline. Samson had worn her down to the very end with his constant barrage of hurtful words and physical blows, that the woman could only handle so much more before she cracked.

The last night of her life, she faced the most brutal of all abuses since Aelia's birth. It was the final push for her to make the devastating leap to her end.

Elizabeth barricaded herself in the drawing room and walked over to her desk. Sitting down, she pulled a few pieces of expensive stationary out from the little drawer above the opening where her legs were now situated under before pulling the cap off the ink. Quill in hand, she sat there in silence and thought over what to say in her letter to each of her children. Of course they would be upset with her decision. Her mind told her that her two elder children would not see her reasoning and would choose to hate her, while the youngest and most precious to her would understand eventually.

Her eyes wandered over the blank page once more, and as soon as she collected her thoughts, she began to write her apologizes down addressing the three children together. Once satisfied with that, she neatly folded the two pieces of paper containing her most sincere thoughts before producing another set of pages. Tears began to stream down her face as she readied her quill once more.

"My dearest Aelia," Elizabeth's voice was full of sorrow as she spoke. "Please see it in your heart to forgive me."

_My dearest Aelia,_

_By the time you read this letter, I am sincerely hoping you have found it deep within your heart to forgive me for my selfish decisions to leave you alone when you needed me the most._

_I cannot begin to explain my reasons for abandoning you when you needed me most, and will never forgive myself for leaving you to his cruel and unforgiving mercy. I wished for you to see what a loving man and father Samson could be, and did not expect him to turn his back on you once you were born of different blood. It was never you he truly hated Aelia, please know this. I foolishly let myself become infatuated with a man who I knew would never fully become a permanent fixture in neither mine nor your life. However, I do not regret my decisions as they all brought me to you. There are many things I wish I could tell and share with you about your father during the years as you age and grow into a beautiful young woman, but alas these tiny details from my memory are nothing but a shadow of who he really is. He was a very handsome man, and thankfully, you inherited more of his charm and good looks than my own._

_Almost five years ago I met him on my return home from an outing. He was the most charming man I had ever met. His voice was smooth, and he just had this way with words. There was something about him that no woman could resist and now thinking back on it, the most notable feature about him was the very thing you share with him. He had the most beautiful piercing red eyes I had ever seen, and that was what drew me in. He introduced himself to me in the most gentlemanly ways, and soon I was under his spell. He was an incredibly passionate lover and showed me more affection and kindness that not even Samson or God himself could have shown me. That night I spent with him, he gave me something very special and made a promise I am now passing onto you. By giving you the locket attached to this letter, I wish for you to do what it is I will never be able to accomplish._

_It was a promise made for this very moment; it is the moment that was deemed the choice of ending my life. Hold onto the locket my dearest, and pray for your father to seek you out. He once promised that he would find me and take me with him to his world if I had chosen this path, but alas I feel that is it too late for me even with his love and affections._

_Call out his name, dear Aelia, and he will find you._

_I must also address something important that I wish for you to keep in mind should you find yourself stuck in a crossroad during your life. Should you fall under despair or find yourself in danger, please do what you can to take care of the matters yourself. Demons and angels do exist Aelia, as do the gifts and treachery that follow in suit. Do not call forth a demon my child, as this will bring dire consequences and pain. Please heed my warning and listen to my last wish as a mother. It is important you find your own path in life instead of seeking the guidance from other forces not meant for this world._

_Aelia, I will ask for your forgiveness once more before I depart into the next life, and pray that you will still see me as your mother and not someone who abandoned you. It was never my intention to raise you in the environment I forced you into, and please know, I love you very much. If only I had been able to give you the chance to meet him. I want you to know, that he would have loved you with all of his heart._

_When the time comes, I am sure everything will fall into place and you will fully understand why I did what I did._

_The locket I am giving to you was the second most precious thing I have ever owned so please, cherish it as if it were your own._

_With love,_

_Elizabeth._

**\- x - x - x -**

Eighteen years had passed since the night his eyes landed on her. He had grown to hate humans in his hundreds of years, and now was no exception.

Or so he thought.

Sorben watched as a elegant and expensive looking carriage pulled by two beautiful black horses trotted up the street towards him. It had been like any other night starting off with him standing off to the side of the road playing the helpless gentleman, and once the carriage stopped, he grinned inwardly at the thought of a satisfactory meal. Never having been one for contracts or harvesting a soul to his specification, Sorben tended to settle for someone or many someones that lived decent lives or had turmoil in their immediate present. He chocked it up to being a lazy choice for the lengthy time he had been alive, having had his share of early "teenage" years of stalking and manipulating humans.

The carriage came to a halt and the man sitting on the bench with the reins in his hands looked down at the demon and gave him a quizzical look.

"Sir, are you alright?" The man inquired. "There is a big storm approaching and it would be best if you sought shelter for the evening."

Sorben gave the man a charming smile. "I am aware. However," His eyes began to glow a unique shade of fuchsia and suddenly the drivers brown orbs went blank. "I would be most happy if you would introduce me to the occupants of this carriage."

"Of course sir!" The driver more than happily tied the reins off on a hitch and hopped down from his perch to walk to the door. "May I introduce you to Miss Elizabeth Valda."

Sorben watched as the door was opened and a young woman looked at the two with a startled expression. His eyes widened slightly at the sight of her nervous vibrant hazel orbs and noticed her delicate hands trembled at the sight of a stranger.

Never in his years had he come across a woman as beautiful as this one. She was the fairy tale beauty with the large doe eyes and a flawless face with long flowing hair gracefully cascading over the front of her shoulders. She was petite and seemed quite delicate with a cocktail of vanilla and wintry scents. Sorben could also smell the scent of a man faintly off her flesh, somehow making his blood boil at the thought. The powerful scent of her blood and almost tropical punch to her soul also became quite potent the closer he got to her. It called to him, tempting him to drain her body and soul.

The demon composed himself and gave a graceful bow. "I am delighted to make your acquaintance, my lady. My name is Sorben Urbana," He flashed a charming smile that sent a wave of pink over her cheeks.

The woman clasped her hands together for some sense of stability and returned his smile with her own shy one, her eyes never leaving his. "It is a pleasure to meet you Sorben. Tell me, what business do you have with me?"

Sorben used the same hypnotic powers of persuasion and locked his eyes with Elizabeth. "Perhaps the beautiful young lady would accompany me to my hotel room this evening?"

"I..." Her eyes flickered from hazel to dull voids much like her drivers. "I would be most delighted."

"Excellent," Sorben gave a pleased smile and relayed the directions to the hotel to the driver before climbing into the coach with her. "Tell me, what is a lovely lady like yourself doing out by yourself on an night like this?"

Elizabeth smile. "I was on my way back home from visiting my sister," Suddenly her eyes flickered and she was no longer under Sorben's control. "H-How did you..."

_Interesting. A human who can overcome and resist powers of persuasion._ Sorben eyed Elizabeth for a moment before smiling. "You are accompanying me for the evening."

Elizabeth frowned and prepared her reply but felt it die in her throat as she watched Sorben's eyes glow fuchsia. She felt her heart skip a beat and her skin begin to tremble once more.

"What... What are you?" Her voice was quiet and her deep breaths were escaping in gasps.

Sorben's eyes lit up with delight. "Beautiful and perceptive, a rare mix. You will make a lovely date for this evening, indeed."

"You are going to kill me, aren't you?" She bit her bottom lip and sank back further into the plush seats of the carriage. "Is that the reason you are here?"

"Originally, yes," Sorben confessed. "However, plans do tend to change from time to time."

Elizabeth's eyes fell to the floor as she fiddled with the material of her skirt. "What is it you want with me then?"

There was a pregnant pause before Sorben's voice broke the silence.

"Do you believe in demons, my dear Elizabeth?"

Elizabeth looked up at him with a quizzical look. "Beg pardon?"

Amusement was clear in his eyes. "Demons and angels exist, and have since before humanity created order."

"If you are telling me this, then that means you are one of them..." She paused. "A demon."

Sorben smirked. "Very good."

"You somehow spelled my driver to do as you wished in order to seek access to me, correct?" Elizabeth watched as the demon nodded and continued cautiously. "I will ask once more. What is it that you want with me?"

Sorben watched her and gave a relaxed response. "Most demons never come across them in their extended lifetime, and those who do end up turning the human into a demon," He paused and watched as her expression lit up with curiosity. "Some call them 'soul singers', but I prefer to call them a potential mate."

"Soul singer? Mate?" Elizabeth's brows furrowed. "Would you not consider that the exact same thing?"

"Essentially," Sorben continued. "As I stated before, they are rare even for demons to find."

"Why are you telling me this?"

Sorben's red orbs began to glow eerily. "I tell you this because I believe I was fortunate enough to find my own singer," His canines elongated and were visible as his smile stretched wide. "Which would be you, lovely Elizabeth."

Elizabeth's eyes widened. "W-What? Why me!"

"We do not have the choice over who we are destined to," Sorben calmly stated.

Elizabeth nodded slowly and looked down at her hands, silently processing the information currently being thrown at her. Sorben watched her quietly and fought to keep resisting the urge to touch her. He wanted to stroke her cheek or even hold her hand for a brief second.

"Sorben," Elizabeth looked up at him slowly. "Tonight, will you steal me away from my husband?"

"No," His expression fell for an instant but he composed himself almost instantly. "In fact, to ease your mind I will be erasing your memories of our encounter. You will not recall having even met me before I entered the carriage."

Elizabeth nodded slowly. "I see."

At her response, Sorben's eyes lit up.

* * *

Sorben walked down the long dirt road leading up to a grand mansion that was nestled far off from the city. It was said to have been surrounded by gardens more beautiful than imagination could build on their own, blessed with intricate designs and lovely flower arrangements. The trees lining the road were trimmed to perfection. The grass was clean cut and showed proper care and grooming had been taken into consideration each time it would grow.

Sorben's eyes wandered all over the expanse of his surroundings. "Beautiful, but boring," He sighed and continued walking. "How long is this damn path anyway?"

Over the years and due to the loss of Elizabeth, he found himself changing into a man uncaring of the surroundings or to his own needs. He was once a gentleman worth envying, but now he was left as a shell of sarcasm and ill manners. He ignored life itself, and wandered around aimlessly throughout the years never stopping in one place too long. It wasn't until he found himself back in this wretched place that he remembered his purpose in life. It was upon this memory, that brought his thoughts back to the gift Elizabeth left for him.

His flesh and blood.

A child that had been sired by him.

His _only_ child.

If he recalled correctly, Elizabeth named her Aelia. Aelia Louise Valda.

It was with a silent promise that he assured Elizabeth that he would remain concealed from his child's life until her eighteenth birthday, only revealing himself and his true nature to her on that day.

His early arrival however, was due to a letter sealed with a spider's insignia not long before his departure from Scotland. It was a letter addressing matters concerning his daughter and her search for his whereabouts by a man named Claude. Only after he finished reading the letter did he realize that his only child had committed to a Faustian contract with a powerful, menacing demon like Claude Faustus.

Sorben continued walking down the path when a figure clad in black became visible in the distance. His feet carried him further forward until he was a few feet away from the man, finally able to see the strangers face.

"Welcome to the former Trancy estate," The man spoke and soon bowed politely. "My name is Claude Faustus. Since you have arrived in such a short amount of time, I will assume you are here to honor what was explain in the letter."

Sorben pocketed his hands. "I was already on my way here, but yes, I will be honoring that letter."

"Very good," Claude motioned for him to follow and soon the two began walking towards the entrance to mansion. "Miss Aelia will be most pleased to meet you when the appropriate time is upon us."

Sorben couldn't help but smile. "As am I," He paused before eyeing the demon butler beside him. "Excuse me but, why do you have her scent all over you?"

"Surely you must be aware of the job of being a butler entails," Claude replied easily.

Sorben's eyes narrowed slightly at Claude but he said nothing more.

"It is a week before her eighteenth birthday," Claude glanced over to Sorben. "Whereabouts will you be staying until then?"

Sorben mumbled something incoherent and shrugged. "I will most likely wander around town until the big day," He suddenly grinned. "Perhaps find something to eat. It's been years since the last soul I consumed."

"Very good," Claude reached up and adjusted his spectacles.

* * *

**So we finally met Sorben!**

**I know I didn't really reveal much or give that great a character description as I wrote, but felt like leaving those details open to more in the next chapter. I also want to apologize for the crappy ass letter that I pulled out of my ass that Elizabeth wrote for Aelia. I was hoping it would have come out better than it did, but ah well! I tried, right? D:**

**Speaking of the next chapter, I'm pleased to tell you that we learn more of Sorben, more of Claude's reasoning for asking Aelia to become his wife/mate and another little detail that I am leaving out for now. ;)**

**OH. OH. OHHHH. For those of you who love the game as much as me, FINAL FANTASY X – X-2 REMAKE IS RELEASED ON TUESDAY! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! :D**

**... Ahem. I'm not excited. No... Not one bit...**

**:3**

**I LIED. I'M SUPER DUPER EXCITED. GAHHHHHHH! *goes crazy ***

**Okay, I'm calm now. LOOL**

**Anywhoo, I shall see you all in the next update and remember, each read counts and I want to thank you all for giving this story a chance!**

**Tataa~**


	6. When The Time Comes (PT I)

**Okay so, I decided to do double updates yesterday even thought my goal was three, but here is the third a day late. Sorry!**

**I won't be on much since I work this weekend. That, and I won't be on at all during my days off because of FINAL FUCKING FANTASY X – X-2 REMAKE. WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! :D**

**... I promise I won't do that every time. I'll even pinky swear to it! *holds out virtual pinky ***

**Also to Ignis Glacious, yes, yes I have played FFX and FFX-2, and they were my favorites of the entire series aside from FFVII. :)**

**Anywhoo, in this update we learn a lot more of Claude's reasoning for wanting Aelia, and more importantly, Aelia meets her father for the first time! :3**

**I won't keep you guys any longer, so off to the story!**

* * *

**Magnificence**

**CH VI; When The Time Comes**

* * *

"Miss Aelia," Claude called as he pushed a silver trolley into her bedroom. "It is time for you to wake up."

Aelia stirred in her bed and muttered to herself as she slowly sat up. She looked over to him before rubbing her eyes quickly and then smiled small at the wake-up call.

"Good morning, Claude."

Claude walked over to her and smoothed out her hair with his gloved hand. "You look dreadful this morning, Miss Aelia."

"Thanks!" Aelia giggled.

She watched as Claude pulled the blankets away from her before gently swinging her legs around to the side of the bed, having became accustomed to such luxuries. It was during their years together that Aelia had gotten used to the daily routine and having Claude pamper her to the extremes of even bathing and clothing her. At first she found herself uncomfortable with the idea of this man seeing her in such a vulnerable and intimate state, but now it was as if he had always been there.

She pondered to herself that perhaps it was that very reason why Claude had offered to change up the contract.

Claude gently lifted Aelia off the bed and sat her on her feet before unbuttoning her nightdress and slowly pulled it up and off her body. As usual, Aelia blushed and fiddled with her fingers out of embarrassment at being entirely exposed. The demon ignored this and went about his work as if nothing were awkward between the two, reaching down to lift each foot one by one into the waist band of a white petticoat before lifting it up to her hips. Next came the corset, which Claude skillfully wrapped around her and laced it to perfection. Aelia's eyes lit up once she looked to the side as Claude reached for a beautiful black dress that she had not seen before.

"May I inquire as to the occasion for such a beautiful dress?" Aelia smiled brightly.

Claude quickly unlaced the back of the dress as he spoke. "You must look your best for your birthday, Miss Aelia."

"My birthday?" She deadpanned. "Oh yeah! I almost forgot!"

Claude simply glanced at her and decided not to make a comment at her forgetfulness. Once Aelia was fully dressed, Claude made the finishing touches that were needed to the dress and then pulled away from her to eye his work with satisfaction clear in his eyes.

"For this morning I have brought for you some hot water and lemon," Claude announced as he tied the matching ribbon to her dress around her neck. "And also a birthday gift."

Aelia blushed. "You have?"

Claude nodded and stood up straight. He lead her to the trolley where her morning tea was waiting, and also a little package with a red bow sat in waiting.

He picked up the wrapped package in his hand before using his other to grasp Aelia's left one gently. "You were successful with the agreements as per stated in our first contract," He turned her hand so her palm was facing the ceiling and placed the gift in her hand. "Now it is time for you to honor the other half of the contract."

She blushed and looked up at him with a smile. "I know and I am ready."

Pleased by her compliance, Claude watched her as she carefully pulled the bow apart and then opened the small package. Inside was a little white felt box. She blinked twice before lifting it out to discard the package on the trolley and carefully held the bottom of the felt box in the palm of her hand once more and used her other to slowly open the top. Inside the small box, was the most beautiful piece of jewelry she had ever laid eyes on.

Her eyes went wide. "Is this..." She looked up at him. "Is this what I think it is?"

A unique black ring sat for display inside the felt box. The band itself was a plain black gold with a unique arrangement of what looked like eight black petals situated on the band. White jewels lined said petals, and at the very top situated in the middle was a stunning fuchsia diamond.

"Indeed it is," Claude plucked the unique ring from the cushioned interior of the box and pulled her left hand up. "It also has another purpose, Miss Aelia."

She watched as he slipped the ring onto the proper finger, her eyes growing wide as the diamond began to glow brilliantly.

"What's happening?" She held out her hand and flexed her fingers as she stared at the diamond. "Claude?"

He took her hand in both of his gently. "The ring is a trigger for your demonic blood. Once the lock has been broken, I will be able to successfully turn you into a full demon."

Aelia nodded slowly and looked up at him. The corner of Claude's mouth began to pull outwards in a triumphant smile as Aelia's eyes flashed in a similar fuchsia color much like his own. There was suddenly a itching sensation in the valley between her breasts drawing her attention down and immediately she noticed the contract seal disappear.

"So does that mean the contract has been fulfilled?" Aelia looked up at Claude once more.

Claude nodded and then fiddled with his spectacles. "Indeed. It means that it is time for us to move along to your end of the deal."

"I'm ready," A smile made its way onto her face.

Claude reached up to cup her cheek gently. "Shall we?"

Aelia let Claude move her hair to the side and as he leaned down, she tilted her head to the side. Claude placed a gentle kiss to her collar bone before bringing his lips up to her ear, murmuring words in a language Aelia did not know. It was when he uttered the final word that Aelia felt like her entire body pulsated. Claude's arm wound around her waist to keep her stable on her feet as she slumped into his chest. Her eyes closed and she trembled against him for a moment until her whole body became still. A pleased smile spread across his face as the scent filling the air no longer belonged to a human girl, signalling that the change was nearly complete. As her intensified senses woke up, she felt her body become light and her eyes fluttered open.

"Aelia," Claude's voice was soothing to her ears. "How do you feel?"

Aelia blinked a few times to allow her new eyesight to adjust as she glanced around the room. "I feel fine," She slowly looked up to meet his eyes, her own shining a deep crimson before returning to their natural red color. "Everything is so vivid now."

"You will become accustomed to all your new heightened senses in time, my dear," Aelia's cheeks burned at the use of his endearment towards her.

She began to pull away from him slightly until a delicious scent hit her nostrils. "What smells so... Amazing?"

"I see your scent has improved as well," Claude said with a hidden tone of smugness. "You are currently inhaling my scent."

Aelia felt her cheeks burn once more and she quickly turned away shyly. "Oh, I see."

"Now then, for my last act as your butler, I have a small schedule prepared for you today."

She nodded and allowed Claude to lead her out of the room, his arm still wound around her waist. Aelia blinked as she entered the hall and was suddenly hit with a powerful scent she had never had never encountered before.

"Claude, what is that smell?" She looked up at him with a quizzical eye.

"You have caught onto the scent of your guest," Claude met her eye. "The scent is that of another male demon."

"Oh?" Her brows furrowed. "Who might that be?"

Claude smirked. "Now now, we would not want to spoil the surprise."

Aelia huffed and pouted, knowing that she was not going to get an answer out of her demon partner.

The two walked in a comfortable silence through another hall that lead towards the main sitting room where Aelia as a human would have started her day off with breakfast. Upon entering the room, Aelia's eyes flickered from corner to corner until her red orbs landed on a man looking out the window, brandy glass in hand despite the fact it was empty.

A memory of Claude performing the same action of sipping some imaginary drink flashed through Aelia's mind quickly, realizing now that it was due to the demonic species not having a need for consumable substances aside from human souls. Now that she had been transformed, she finally understood why Claude did some of the things he did out of some long lost habit.

The man turned to face the two and went a little wide eyed when his gaze landed on Aelia.

"Wow," The stranger breathed out. "I knew you would be beautiful, but I never imaged you would look like this."

Aelia blinked, not sure if she should take that as a complete compliment or only half.

"Thanks?" She glanced to her right where Claude still stood before meeting the red-eyed strangers with her own crimson orbs. "May I ask who you are?"

The man grinned. "Ah yes, I figured Claude would not give you any details," He set the empty glass down before turning to face her fully. "It would seem Elizabeth also stuck to our agreement, even though she was thrilled with the idea of telling our child who her real father was."

"How did you know my mother?" Aelia's brows furrowed and then suddenly a rough slap of reality hit her hard in the face. "Wait... You're...? You can't be..." Her eyes began to water. "... Dad?"

Sorben gracefully bowed before holding out his hand. "It's nice to finally meet you Aelia."

Claude gripped Aelia's shoulder tighter as she swayed, her eyes becoming distant and clouded as she mulled over the new information. Sorben walked over cautiously, his eyes still on Aelia. She remained in this stunned stupor for a few more moments before snapping back to reality, becoming completely aware of how close the man know known as her father was to her.

"Sorben," Her voice came out soft and only an octave higher than a whisper. "How are you... here?"

He smiled. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions for me my dear, and believe me when I say I will answer them but first let us just stick with the basics."

Aelia hesitantly reached out and accepted the hand Sorben had once again extended towards her, taking her from Claude's protective grasp and leading her towards the table. He pulled out her chair for her and then took a seat beside her while the demon butler fiddled with whatever it was that needed done before disappearing out into the hall to find the triplets.

Noticing that he and his daughter were now alone, Sorben turned his full attention to her.

"You chose the path of becoming a full demon I see?" Sorben seemed pleased with this. "I am proud of you for that, but I would have been just as proud had you chosen to remain human."

Aelia smiled small. "I remember the first day my step father told me I was an abomination," She paused and looked down at her hands. "My mother used to tell me that he meant nothing of it and told me it was because I had unique blood and physical traits."

"Your step father was a cruel man," Sorben sighed and sat back in his seat. "Despite what Elizabeth forced me to swear to, I could not remain far enough away from you both to leave you without protection."

"Why did mother make you swear not to become involved in my life?" Aelia looked up at him.

Sorben's smile faltered. "Elizabeth knew what she meant to me, but still she made the decision to stand beside that _man_," He seemed to spit out the word. "We made the mutual decision to put a time line on our meeting, having decided on your eighteenth birthday."

"Why my eighteenth?" Her brows furrowed. "Is there a special significance behind it?"

"There is," Sorben confirmed. "At the age of eighteen, the demonic blood that was locked away at birth would have made itself know, signalling the choice that you would have had to make. Since it has already passed that point and you are almost a full fledged demon, I feel as if my further explanation on the topic is necessary."

Aelia blinked. "What do you mean by 'almost'?"

"Ah," Sorben grinned. "So your butler hasn't told you."

Her cheeks flushed at the word.

"To become a full fledged demon and tie yourself to a mate for eternity, you must be marked during the first cycle of the blue moon," Sorben explained. "The blue moon in my world represents the appropriate season for mating and copulation. It is a beautiful time, but also a very dangerous one."

Never in her life had Aelia felt so awkward. "Oh, Wow... Uh..."

Sorben chuckled. "I know it is an uncomfortable thought to process, but it really is much more simple to experience it rather than to listen to it explained in words."

Aelia nodded slowly and looked away from him shyly. "How does one... mark a mate?"

"It's usually a very cliche bite mark on the neck as a visual sign that the female is no longer available, but many males have a more sentimental and unique way of showing their pairing," Sorben grinned.

_Oh God..._ Her eyes suddenly flashed to the ring now resting around her marital finger. _Does that mean... Claude is going to... Oh God..._

"It seems someone has already claimed you," Sorben's eyes followed hers down to the vivid fuchsia diamond. "Tell me, is it the spider demon who is currently your butler?"

Aelia nodded slowly. "It was an term I willingly agreed to when Claude and I changed the contract."

"Oh yes," Sorben's eyes narrowed slightly. "I heard a rumor about my daughter falling into a Faustian contract with the infamous spider demon who was thought to have been murdered, although a part of me wished it had of been false."

"He's helped me through a lot dad," Aelia frowned. "Please don't hate him."

Sorben's eyes softened. "If he is who you choose, then it seems I am overruled even if I did not approve of him."

Aelia smiled slightly and nodded. "Thank you."

The two sat in silence for a moment as Sorben attempted to find other topics of conversation. He knew Aelia would have tons of questions for him, but under observation before Elizabeth's death he noted that she was a shy, introverted creature that was friendly when needed but often enjoyed sitting by quietly while others conversed.

"Pardon my interruption," Claude spoke as he entered the room. "But I would like to have a word with you in private, Sorben."

The demon in question looked over to him before standing up. He looked down at Aelia and gave her a smile before walking over to Claude.

"I will not keep your father long," Claude looked at Aelia with a gaze that one could boldly call affectionate. "The triplets have offered to accompany you to the gardens if you wish?"

Aelia stood up and faced the two with a smile and nodded. "Sure."

On cue, the purple-haired triplets filed into the room and bowed simultaneously. Aelia watched as Sorben followed Claude out of the room and then turned back to the triplets. Thompson, Canterbury and Timber lead Aelia to the back gardens and onto a path that lead to the stable she had built shortly after allowing Claude to bring her to the manor. Thompson, who was already the hired gardener, accepted the task of taking care of the horses and stable maintenance. After it had been built, it became Aelia's favorite spot. She and the triplets remained there almost all afternoon until Claude and her father walked out to meet them. Aelia had not noticed their arrival, having been too interested in the horses she was now petting after entering the pasture to visit with them.

* * *

**Yeah... Shitty way to end the chapter, I know, but I couldn't figure out how to end it properly or with a bang.**

**Sorry it was a day late, but by the time I had most of this written it was like... 12:47AM and I had to be up for work at 4:15AM so yeah, needed some manor of sleep. LOOL**

**This will be the last update until next weekend, where I promise to update and not play FFX all day with no sleep...**

**:)**

**ANYWAYS, have a good weekend all and I shall see you all next time!**

**For those of you who have read it, I will be updating One Way Ticket (my Ling/Greed x OC story) on Monday since I never got to it on Friday. :)**

**Tataa for now~**


	7. When The Time Is Right (PT II)

**Oh. My. Gawsh.**

**She's actually pulled herself away from the game! Wow! *proud of myself ***

**Hello all! LOL ;)**

**So, there was a little bit to digest from the previous chapter, so shall we recap? First and foremost, we were faced with the result of the end of Claude and Aelia's contract. She was given a ring (There will be a link in my profile for those interested in seeing it!) that helped to unlock Aelia's demonic blood, and also Claude proceeded with stage two of their "marriage". Later on, her father Sorben was able to give her more details on the subject on consummation being the final piece of her becoming a fully fledged demon. :)**

**And to cap that off, we finally got to meet the mysterious Sorben! I know there wasn't much in the previous chapter with him, but I will let you know that he is in fact a main character. ;)**

**Oh yeah, and we talk about boobs in this story. But everyone loves boobs. Most of us have boobs and we see WAYYYY too many boobs in movies nowadays... But who doesn't like boobs? Breasteses... that's who. They're jealous.**

**[EDIT SEPT 25]; This chapter has had a huge makeover done to it, so yeah... Enjoy!**

* * *

**Magnificence**

**CH VII; When The Time Is Right**

* * *

Later on that evening, Sorben had told Aelia that he was off to the town to find a suitable bite to eat. Being naive to the topic seeing as how she could still rely on human food to sustain her, she figured her father meant that he was going for some exquisite cuisine that Claude was unable to prepare. Without question, she allowed him to leave with the promise that he would return. Sorben also promised to bring the triplets along with him as company, offering to show them freedom outside of the manor. The three more than willingly complied and followed the elder demon without protest.

Aelia watched at the window in silence until the carriage carrying Sorben and the twins disappeared from sight as Claude stood slightly behind her, his eyes flickering from the window to his mate. In his yellow orbs, Aelia could see the answer to her question left to linger behind at her fathers last words to her before heading out with the triplets.

_Remember I told you about the cycle of the blue moon? Well the first half starts tonight, so keep in mind that your 'fiancee' is in prime condition. Not that I myself enjoy the thought of my daughter going through something like this with a man I did not approve of before he bore the ring, but just remember to keep calm and you'll be fine._

"Claude," Aelia looked back at him. "May I ask you a question?"

Claude met her eyes and gave a charming smile. "Of course."

"Is it true..." She suddenly became bright red in the face and fiddled with her hair out of nervousness. "That you and I have to... Uh... _You know_... Do _that_ in order for me to become a full demon?"

"But of course," Came the easy reply. "It is necessary in order for you and I to be boned together as one for eternity, as well as change your blood completely. Since you are human being turned, despite your demonic heritage, the rules of turning a full human do apply to you as well."

Aelia deadpanned. "Do you really have to say it like that!"

Claude seemed to find the fact she was uncomfortable rather amusing. "It is but the simplest of creature nature, human or otherwise."

"So, is that why you let the triplets go with my father so easily?" Her eyes narrowed in accusation.

Claude's sudden grin was all she needed for an answer.

Aelia gasped loudly as her body was quickly lifted from the ground, her surroundings becoming blurry as Claude used his inhuman speed to whisk her away into another part of the manor. Having been thrown onto something soft and plush, Aelia finally realized her partner had brought her to her room and was now looming above her on her bed. His usual bright yellow eyes were now glowing the bright fuchsia that seemed to mesmerize every fiber of her being.

"I'm afraid that once this is settled, there will be no going back. You understand this?" Claude balanced his entire weight on one hand and pulled his other on up to caress her cheek gently. "You and I will be bound as one for eternity until the day one of us dies."

Aelia nodded. "I do."

Claude's lips claimed her own with a searing kiss, as if melting their flesh together as one. She felt the hand that once rested against her cheek ghost down and in behind her as the fingers played at the laces holding the back of her dress together, pulling them apart without breaking contact. Aelia whimpered at the sudden loss of warmth and at the sudden movement as Claude skillfully pulled the dress off her body as if it were never there.

"C-Claude!" Her face burned.

The elder demon looked down at her. "Yes?"

"Aren't you going to take your time?" She squirmed underneath his lustful gaze.

Claude's lips pulled back into a grin. "Why of course not. I have been waiting much too long for this moment, and fear I cannot hold myself back much longer."

"This is you holding back?" Aelia asked incredulously. "I'd hate to see you at your worst."

A challenging look flashed in the mans eyes. "Are those words meant to be an invitation, or a hint of a challenge my dear Aelia?"

Aelia bit her bottom lip and looked away from Claude trying to avoid eye contact, fearing the man would see more than he already did. Claude was no fool. Over the years he spent with her, he could see the curiosity and desire within the deepest depths of her red orbs.

"If you wish for me to beg for you Claude, I won't!" Aelia suddenly announced, her face still red as she finally met his eye.

Claude smirked at this. "I see."

Aelia squeaked as the corset, once tightly wound around her, was torn apart and thrown across the room to land in an unknown spot with a thud. She protested against this but was soon silenced as Claude's lips found her once more, this time lacking the gentle passion he previously bestowed upon her. Now, all she could taste was a burning hunger that had been dormant inside for a long time. As he pulled away she watched as he unceremoniously pulled the tailored coat from his body before folding it impossibly fast before sending it across the room to meet her corset.

"Claude," There was a strange tone laced in Aelia's voice. "When you bite me... Will it hurt?"

Claude paused as she spoke before looking down at her. "Is that all that troubles you?"

Aelia nodded slowly. "Yeah... I've never exactly been one for pain," She paused and blushed again. "And my sister always did tell me the first time hurt, so... That's kind of bothering me as well."

Claude continued to look down at the girl who was to become his mate and felt all sense of urgency leave his being. It startled him that the hesitant and nervous look in Aelia's eyes halted the primal instincts of his demonic heritage and made him docile. Though the feelings of lust were still coiled deep within himself and the strong desire to claim her in every way possible pulsed through his veins, but one look from those eyes paused it all.

Aelia shivered at the gentleness that seeped through Claude's words. "I cannot promise you that it will not be uncomfortable, but I will make it a night you will never forget."

A wave of arousal washed over Aelia suddenly, and an unknown heat once hidden began to pool in the lower pits of her stomach. The feeling intensified as Claude descended upon her and claimed her lips in a fiery kiss while his hands danced over her bare torso. Tingling sensations tickled every end of all the nerves in her body. Her blood began to surge in her veins and carried all of these new sensations forward.

What she didn't know, is an alluring scent released itself as her body now openly expressed itself to Claude's advances, giving the male demon a whole new kick start to the urgency that had been subdued just seconds ago.

And Claude allowed the rush to take over both his mind and body, letting his instincts take over and run on auto-pilot.

Clothing was soon forgotten and flesh molded with flesh as the two kissed and touched like ravage beasts. Claude memorized her body and allowed all detail to burn in his mind and Aelia allowed him to pamper her with all the passion she thought impossible for one being to give. The unskilled versus the skilled clashed in a combat of limbs, and soon Claude had her right where he wanted her. Aelia gasped as his fingers and lips worked wonders across her skin. He teasingly traced the tips up and down her stomach and her sides in an almost ticklish fashion, causing her breathing to become heightened and her body to squirm. With each nip of his canines came an accompanied touch to her form.

"Hey!" Her voice was shaky. "Don't tickle me!"

He gave a throaty chuckle and began his administrations on her once more, earning more pleasurable noises from her petite form that sent waves of something lovely straight to his libido.

Aelia hastily grasped the back of his head to meet him in the intense kiss as he covered her body with his own, reaching down with his hand to cup under her knee and pulled it up to wrap around his waist. The girl beneath him was too preoccupied with the way his lips fought fiercely against her own to notice the way Claude was beginning to position himself until the moment she had been fearing above all. Much to Aelia's surprise, her fear of the simplest of creature nature wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. In truth, she felt rather embarrassed by it.

Given the chance to turn back time, she may have even laughed at herself for it.

Once Aelia was consumed by the heat and much more comfortable than she was letting on, Claude took advantage of the exposure and quickly leaned down, fangs bared and eyes burning fuchsia.

There was an indistinguishable sound of mixed pleasure and pain as Aelia felt Claude's fangs pierce the flesh of her neck. Her breath hitched and her back arched high to press against him. He began greedily sucking the blood that seeped out from the fresh bite, enjoying the euphoric feeling that instantly washed over the both of them. Minutes seemed to turn into hours until suddenly Aelia felt the familiar burning sensation quickly build up in the lower pits of her abdomen, her body shuddering and her breathing becoming heavy. His name spilled out of her lips once again as the pressure finally broke and a huge wave of well-deserved relief washed over her, followed by the blur of her vision and the sound of her mate giving into the sensations as well.

Aelia took a moment to regain her breath and felt her cheeks heat up as Claude buried his face in her neck once more, muttering something in a foreign language.

"Claude..." She was pleased to note that her voice had finally returned to her. "What are you saying?"

After a moment of silence from the elder demon he pushed himself up so he was propped above her on his elbows. "It is something of tradition for a male to repeat to his mate after the change."

"I see..." Aelia reached up and slowly traced the outline of Claude's cheekbone with the tips of her fingers. Her usual red eyes seemed to glow with an ominous demonic presence, causing a strange wave of pride and rejuvenated desire to pulse through Claude. "Did it work?"

Amusement flashed in his eyes. "You mean, have you successfully become a full demon?" When Aelia nodded slowly Claude leaned down to press his lips against her forehead. "Yes, you have."

Aelia couldn't fend off the bright smile that plastered itself on her face.

"Did I hurt you?" Claude looked down at her with a startling amount of concern in his eyes that caused Aelia's stomach to twist in knots.

"No, everything was fine," Aelia murmured out softly.

Out of the years Claude was in her service, never had he looked in her in such a way. It was uncharacteristic of him and caught Aelia off guard. The awkwardness that she had also expected to flow around the two after such an intimate act was nowhere to be found as Claude pulled away from her long enough to lay on her side before pulling the covers up over the two. He pulled the young woman close to him and traced circles around the bare flesh of her shoulder as she drifted into a deep sleep.

* * *

Somewhere in town, Sorben wandered the streets by himself after having stopped the carriage and knocked the triplets out. He needed some privacy and some peace and quiet in order to process what was happening back at the manor.

The spider demon, Claude Faustus, was his daughters mate.

Sorben was no fool, and knew the man by his reputation in the underworld. He was a merciless, empathetic male who cared not for others but himself. The man was selfish and malicious. He knew Claude had no ability to feel real emotion or how to send and receive it.

To put it simply, he was not at all pleased by her choice in a mate.

Sorben continued his walk down the street until an unfamiliar scent caught his attention. His feet planted themselves to the ground as he looked around to try and pin-point the whereabouts of the new scent, when a man dressed in black trousers matched with a double-breasted tailcoat. Beside him, was a shorter male with a patch covering his right eye while the other, a bright blue one, stared back at him void of emotion.

The taller of the two placed a hand over his heart and bowed politely.

"Good evening sir," The man spoke with a polite tone. "I would like to introduce you to my young master, Lord Earl Ciel Phantomhive."

Sorben's brow rose. "What business do you have with me?"

The young boy know revealed as Ciel walked forward to match the man's gaze. "You are Sorben Urbana, are you not?"

"I am," Sorben narrowed his eyes. "Again, I must ask what it is you want with me?"

"My apologies," The butler stood straight but did not move from where he stood. "My young master has business he wishes to discuss with you in private concerning your return to this land."

"Would this have anything do with my daughter?" Sorben inquired, his red eyes beginning to glow an eerie bright crimson unlike the fuchsia most demons displayed.

The butler's lips pulled into a grin. "Why, yes it does."

"Well I must apologize but, as of right now I have other matters to deal with in regards to my daughter without your added drama," Sorben sighed and pocketed his hands. "I have nothing to speak to you two about so I will be leaving now."

Ciel's voice caught Sorben off guard with the amount of authority he possessed in his tone. "Before you choose to turn me down, please do me the honors of hearing me out."

Sorben looked at the boy with a quizzical eye. "Oh? And what is it you want with my daughter exactly? Humor me with your ideas and bribes."

"Well first, I would like to know what lays such a heavy distraction on your mind," Ciel asked. "And then perhaps we can discuss my portion of a new deal."

Sorben eyed Ciel before turning his attention to the demon butler standing behind him. Now that he took a good look, he recognized the man to be the infamous crow demon who currently went by the name of Sebastian Michaelis.

"She is currently in the company of a demon I thought to be dead," Sorben revealed. "You may know of him."

"Of?" Ciel's brow rose. "Who might it be?"

"Claude Faustus."

Sebastian's eyes grew ever so slightly as Ciel stood there with his mouth agape. "Impossible. When Claude and Sebastian dueled, Alois and I watched Sebastian strike him down."

"Well I'm afraid you are mistaken," Sorben chortled. "The man is very much alive and has been under the service of my daughter up until now, when it was decided by the rules of the contract that she would take his hand and become his mate."

Sebastian spared a glance towards Sorben before looking down at his master. "It would seem the rules of the game are in need of change."

"So it would seem," Ciel whispered before giving his head a shake.

Sorben watched as the two conversed in hushed tones. Deciding to use this as his opportunity for escape, Sorben turned around and began to walk away from the pair.

"Wait," Ciel's voice caused Sorben to stop and look back over his shoulder. "What would you say to making a deal?"

The mischievous glint in Ciel's eye did not go unnoticed by the ancient demon, only adding to his growing curiosity. "And what would that be?"

"Why not come with us and discuss the matters I wish to bring up to you over some tea before we dive into the terms of this deal?" Ciel smirked, baiting the elder demon.

Sebastian eyed Sorben for a moment and found himself surprised as the older male turned around to face his young master.

"Fine," Sorben finally answered. "But lets make this quick."

* * *

**Sebastian and Ciel are back! Woot! ... Or maybe not, depends on who was excited to see them make an appearance in this story. LOOL**

**As per the "code", I've re-written chiz in this chapter to avoid any more discussions so we can hopefully all get along now. I don't like arguments and I don't particularly like fighting in general, so can we all just be friends now? Pretty please? :(**

**This chapter has also been cut pretty much in half. Ah well. I was never one for long chapters anyways. I have the attention span of a flea most times. ;)**

**Tataa for now~**


	8. The Earls, Phantomhive and Trancy

**So when I should be updating either one of my other continuous stories... Here I am, updating Magnificence again. LOOL**

**SORRY GUYS, I can't help it!**

**Probably sometime tomorrow I'll update One Way Ticket or The Deal, but for now, I wanna get into the real storyline for this fic. ;)**

* * *

**Magnificence**

**CH XIII; The Earls, Phantomhive and Trancy**

* * *

"Father, may I ask you a question?"

Sorben, having been walking through the massive expanse that was the gardens behind the grand manor, looked down at his daughter and offered a smile.

"Of course," He stuffed his hands into his pockets out of habit. "You should know better than that," His eyes began to shine with fatherly affections. "You can ask your old man anything at all."

Aelia giggled softly before stopping beside a giant bush with glorious looking pink lily's. She knelt down and carefully plucked a fully bloomed one from it's perch and brought it up to her nose, inhaling deeply allowing the unique aroma to penetrate her senses deeply. She sighed in content with a smile on her face before turning to her father.

"What is it about Claude that you dislike?"

Sorben gave a mighty inner struggled to fight hard against the frown that wanted to drag the corners of his mouth downward. He had been secretly hoping Aelia would not pick up on his hesitation towards the man in question, as he could tell something was off.

His opinion of his newly appointed son-in-law had also shifted ever since his fated meeting with a certain Earl and his eternal demonic companion.

Sorben gave a convincing smile. "It's not that I don't like him," He paused and desperately ripped through his mind to formulate some sort of legible response to her question. "It's just that he isn't the first demon I would have allowed you to give your hand to."

Aelia blinked. "What do you mean by that, father?"

"Let me explain," Sorben drew in a deep breath to prepare for his speech. "What a male demon has a daughter, he withholds the right to choose her partner, or to allow his child to find a mate. If the latter of the decisions is made, the father is able to approve or disapprove of the suitor," He paused and noted the look of acknowledgement on Aelia's face. "As you may be thinking, it is indeed like a nobleman and an arranged marriage, but with much less rules to abide by."

"So is that why you don't like Claude?" Aelia pressed, wanting to dig deeper. "You don't approve of him?"

Sorben's brows knit together. "Again, I never declared that I dislike him, but I must be honest with the fact that I do not approve of him."

"Why?" Aelia's smile turned downward.

Aelia watched as conflict began to cross his pale face, allowing for a large pool of anxiety to ripple in the very pits of her stomach.

How could her father not approve of Claude? Surely he must know how kind her mate has been to her, even as he served her faithfully as her butler.

Sorben gave a weary sigh before running his fingers through the wild tresses of his dark hair. "How do I explain this without sounding unfair and without remorse."

The anxiety building in Aelia slowly began to grapple at her more frantically as she waited impatiently for her father to give her his answer.

"To put it simply," Sorben locked eyes with her is to intensify his point. "I do not trust him."

Before Aelia could inquire as to why, Sorben silenced her with a flash of his hand.

"I've known of Claude for a very long time Aelia," Sorben began. "He is known in my world as an apathetic, sadistic and cruel man. He is from a long line of spider demons, and in that line comes extreme aggression and a selfishness that cannot be contained."

Aelia allowed this new piece of information to cut through her and flow freely like a wound that would never heal.

She was no fool. Despite her trust in the former butler, she could see the signs. His impassive nature and how he would so ruthlessly deal with the situations Aelia would ask him to deal with was a red flag that warned her of his true nature. However, even in his ruthless demeanour, the spider demon had treated her with an uncanny gentleness Aelia had not thought possible. During the weeks following the murder of Samson, Claude had become more romantic in his advances towards her. He would often caress her cheek with a rare tenderness, or take her into an embrace during her weakest moments.

Aelia witnessed first hand both sides of the spider demon's personality, and willingly accepted it all.

"Father..."

"Let me finish Aelia," Sorben chuckled softly. "Despite the fact his... _prestigious_ reputation is not one to be happy over, I have not failed to notice how much softer he has become since your union and with that, I will be giving him the benefit of the doubt."

At his words, a weight suddenly lifted from her shoulders.

There was a wave of comfortable silence that washed over the two as they continued their trek through the gardens. Sorben muddled in his own thoughts as he looked a head of him to see Aelia taking in all the different flower arrangements they passed by. He couldn't help but smile at the peaceful look on Aelia's face, the same that his dear Elizabeth gave to him when she was incandescently happy.

How he missed his beautiful angel.

A sudden thought crossed his mind, forcing his attention back to the conversation from the previous night when he had encountered the infamous Earl Phantomhive and his companion. To be honest, Sorben had been rather convinced that the Earl was clean off his rocker once he gave his piece and demanded a deal to be made.

Much to his dismay, Ciel requested that Sorben honor his half of the deal by handing over Aelia into Sebastian's custody with the promise that she would have protection from the spider demon. Despite the tempting offer that followed up with the details Phantomhive had laid out, Sorben refused to barter his daughter for the gain of another.

Sorben was an ancient demon with the bloodline of a royal. Simply put, he had faced others with the same greedy eyes as the newly transformed nobleman expressed deep within his oceanic mirrors. Many before Ciel had tried to tie themselves into the Urbana bloodline either through marriage or by dishonorable means. Whether it was a matter of gaining power over enemies or out of some whim of rare honesty of affection, those who were not compatible or chosen to honor the family name were given no chance.

A single woman with the will of fire had set the standard for the rules following the hundreds of years the Urbana family would fight to maintain their strong structure and firm rules. Zelina Urbana was a ruthless and powerful demoness that had not but one single purpose in her lengthy life, seeing it as her personal mission to uphold the balance between clans.

Sorben could clearly remember the demoness in startling detail. She was a tall woman with burning eyes that matched her untamable personality. She was independent and refused to take a mate, feeling the connection would only hinder what she was placed in the cruel world to do. Zelina was callous and void of expression to all those who apposed her and for those she cherished, they were given the rarity of seeing the sliver of warmth that would peak through her void. Sorben had been one of the few that had the honor of knowing Zelina as a kind and gentle woman.

It shocked him to note the similarities that his own flesh and blood shared with the fearsome Zelina Urbana, and it would be those similarities that attracted the attention of others hungry and lustful for power.

Ciel Phantomhive was not exempt from those urges.

Much like Aelia, Zelina had a unique compassion for those who gained her trust that had ultimately been her downfall.

_She will be taken care of with the utmost respect and have the best protection one could offer. I can assure you that Sebastian will not fail._

Sorben watched Aelia with a somber expression as the thoughts coursing through his mind twisted and turned down the small path of temptation once more as he muddled over what the Earl had said.

_Ah, so you wish to feed your curiosity after all. Very well, here is the deal: allow me to remove Aelia from the former Trancy estate and hold her in my custody. As stated previously, she will be in good hands as Sebastian is more than formidable and will handle all those who advance towards us in a threat. The part she will play will be further elaborated at another time._

The hidden meaning detected in his words sent chills tingling down the Urbana's spine. How the Earl continuously repeated himself on assuring the safety of his child with Sebastian unsettled him. There was also the fact that Ciel would not disclose his full reasoning for wanting to attain Aelia, but it would not take a fool to know it was either for power or simply for almighty greed.

"Excuse the interruption, but might I have a word with Miss Aelia?"

Sorben blinked and looked to his left, having been unaware of Claude's presence until now. Aelia turned to the spider demon and gave a bright smile, to which Claude returned with his own charming upturn of his lips leaving Sorben somewhat shocked.

"Of course," Sorben chortled. "She is your mate after all. No need to ask."

Claude eyed Sorben with suspicion clear in his piercing yellow orbs but made no move to question him, deciding to avoid a conflict while in front of Aelia.

Aelia walked up to the two and placed her hand on her father's arm giving him an affection squeeze before taking the hand offered by her mate and allowed Claude to walk her out of the garden. Sorben watched the two carefully before turning his attention forward once more.

Now alone, he allowed the thoughts buzzing through his head to consume him.

* * *

"Good morning, young master."

Ciel stirred from his slumber as the chipper voice of his ever faithful butler poured into his room. The boy muttered something softly as he sat up, carefully rubbing the sleep from his eyes before reaching for his eye patch. His oceanic blues soon landed on Sebastian as he left the trolley that had been pushed in from the hall and strolled over to the Earl's bedside. Ciel fastened the patch over the contract-sealed eye while Sebastian prepared his usual cup of tea.

"For this morning's tea we have a traditional Earl Gray blend," Sebastian announced as he prepared Ciel for his day, dressing him in his appropriate attire which consisted of a black blazer over top of a dark grey dress shirt that matched the black shorts and matching knee-high socks with garters.

Ciel eyed Sebastian with a bored expression. "What is my schedule for today?"

"You have an appointment with a gentleman who wishes to become business partners with the Funtom Company later in the evening," Sebastian relays. "As well as a two o'clock appointment with another gentleman who is also interested in becoming business partners, although his intentions are much less admirable."

"Of course they are," Ciel scoffed. "It is sad to think that morals and a man's pride can be swayed so easily by money."

Sebastian's eyes shined with amusement. "Are you sure it is not simply a human trait, young master?"

"Perhaps it is," Ciel mused.

Accepting the seemingly empty cup from Sebastian, Ciel brought the expensive china cup to his lips and took a long sip of the invisible substance within its confines. A small yet satisfied sigh escaped Ciel's lips before closing his visible eye.

"Has Sorben given any word as of yet?"

"I'm afraid not," Sebastian replied.

Ciel's lips curled into a small smirk as he finished off the contents of the tea cup. "He will."

"What makes you so certain?" Sebastian's brow rose at the over confidence the young Earl displayed.

Ciel's visible eye flashed a deep crimson before returning to its normal ocean blue.

"He may be a prideful demon, but we cannot deny the fact that our goals are both in common," Ciel began. "In the end, it will work out in both our favor."

Sebastian grinned knowingly. "Of course."

* * *

Claude walked Aelia down a long hallway that was unfamiliar to her. The two passed door after door until finally the taller of the two stopped at a rather gargantuan rosewood colored door. Aelia looked up at her companion with a quizzical look in her eyes.

"Where are we, Claude?" She questioned. "And why didn't I know this place was here?"

Claude looked down at Aelia. "This room belongs to my former master, Earl Alois Trancy."

"So, this is his bedroom?" Aelia felt her cheeks heat up at the thought.

The male demon stepped forward to wrap his hand around the handle. "No. This room, once a guest room, was altered upon request when the young master knew his demise was close."

Aelia tried to wrap her head around the information being thrown at her. "So before you consumed his soul, he had this room created?"

Claude paused and for a moment, Aelia caught a glimpse of the demon she had encountered when they first agreed to a contract. His yellow eyes flashed a brilliant and dangerous fuchsia before settling back to their normal warm, golden texture.

Clearly that was a topic that would not be up for a welcomed discussion.

"I'm sorry Claude," Aelia whispered softly. "It wasn't my place to bring that up..."

The elder demon glanced at her from the corner of his eye but said nothing. With an effortless flick of his wrist, the door was opened to reveal itself to pair outside. Aelia watched him and frowned but followed silently behind him.

As Claude made his way to the far left corner of the room, Aelia nearly jumped out of her skin once the elder demon spoke.

"Highness suffered a terrible fate worse than death," Claude declared. "Alois Trancy formed a contract with a demoness named Hannah Anafeloz, who before my meeting with the Earl Trancy had dealings with a young boy named Luka. The young master believed he was his younger brother."

Aelia watched him as he effortlessly lifted a beautifully designed navy plush chair into the air and set aside, revealing a bare spot on the wall. Her brow flew upwards. This hidden compartment certainly wasn't made to be concealed with a high level of secrecy, much like Claude's brief explanation and lack of disclosure for what the purpose of this room was.

"So these dealings Hannah had with Luka... Was it a contract?" Aelia surmised.

"Correct," Claude opened a small cupboard door to reveal what looked like a small unmarked chest. "Once their contract came to an end, Hannah consumed Luka's soul as per the usual agreement to any Faustian contract unless stated otherwise. When Hannah became employed as a maid under the Trancy household, she doted on the young master with intentions on reuniting the two."

Aelia frowned. "How tragic."

There was a gruff sound that escaped Claude's throat that reminded Aelia of a chortle, but she knew better. The man before her continued his work without meeting Aelia's eye.

"Hannah created the contract in order to save him from the fate of our contract," Claude finally spared Aelia a glance. "In doing so, she completed her goal of reuniting the two, successfully stealing the young master away from me."

Aelia caught the shameless tone of jealously laced in Claude's voice. She crossed the room with hesitation and reached out to touch his shoulder but his words halted her movement.

"Should you ever choose to form a contract with a desperate human, you will understand the animosity of another demon stealing another's food," Claude snapped the lock containing the chest with ease before standing up with the box in-hand.

Aelia felt a pang at her heart due to the heartless tone in his words.

"What's in the box?" Aelia inquired, taking a shot at changing the subject.

Claude walked passed her to set the unlocked chest down on a solid oak chest before turning to face her fully. For the first time since their abrupt meeting on the night their contract was formed, Aelia felt her blood run cold with fear. Fear of what Claude was capable of.

Claude seemed to detect this and advanced forward towards his mate, his eyes never leaving hers. She began to shrink back as he approached, until finally he was within an arms length away from the girl.

"Aelia," Claude's tone had an alarming amount of calm added to it. "Are you frightened of me?"

Hesitation.

_He is known in my world as an apathetic, sadistic and cruel man. _

Sorben's words cracked the thin layer of Aelia's opinion on Claude only slightly.

_Extreme aggression and a selfishness that cannot be contained.  
_

Claude drew in a deep breath and silently exhaled, reaching forward to touch her cheek gently. Aelia did not flinch under his touch as he anticipated she would, relieving him with the knowledge that she was not frightened, but in fact more intimidated than anything.

Aelia leaned into his touch and closed her eyes, raising her hand up to place over his own.

"I'm not afraid of you," Aelia sighed out. "I just... Forgot the type of person you are capable of being."

Claude surprised her by accepting her words as he leaned in to press a light kiss on her forehead.

"I will not lie to you to and falsely assure you of anything that is not true," Claude looked down at her.

Aelia gave a small smile. "I know."

Claude carefully studied her eyes. _She is completely trusting of me despite the warnings in her father's words._ The muscles at the corners of his mouth twitched. _Perfect._

Aelia reached up to brush the hair that has fallen in front of his face.

The two remained in silence as they shared a meaningful gaze when Claude pulled away only to grasp her hand.

"Are you going to show me what's inside the box?" Aelia inquired with overflowing curiosity, following Claude as he led her to the desk.

"Of course," Claude released her hand and reached for the lid.

As crimson eyes watched intensely, Aelia could not help but tense with the feeling of what secrets may be revealed when the lid was finally opened. Was it a heart? Piece of human flesh? A weapon which held the power to slay a demon? Questions began to run through her mind at rapid speed, all the while causing an unnecessary headache.

Lifting it open, Claude cast her a brief look before setting his sights on the exposed set of rings.

Aelia eyed the two rings that were perched within the confines of the chest. Nestled between the vibrant white cushion sat a silver ring with what would have been a stunning dark blue diamond during it's better days and a gold ring adorned with several white jewels lining what looked like the outline of an eye with a dull red diamond being the iris. She also noted how similar the two pieces of jewelry were to her own.

_It has another purpose._

"Rings?" Aelia looked up at Claude in confusion, her brows furrowing.

The demon's eyes were trained on the rings. "Day into night, creatures to corpses, and in this case, humans into demons."

Her eyes widened slightly as she looked back down at the two rings.

Did these belong to his former master?

* * *

**Ahhhhh, sorry about the shitty ending to this chapter. LOOL**

**Yes, I know, the title has NOTHING to do with the actual chapter, but in a way it kind of does due to the reveal of those rings. ;)**

**IN OTHER NEWS:**

**I finally was able to walk away from my game after beating it, and decided to take a break before going straight into FFX-2. With that said, I am delighted to inform you all with this piece of useless information I'm sure none of you really are concerned about, and that is that I am now watching all of the seasons of House. Boring, right? Naw. ;)**

**Either way, in relations to the story, we got to hear Claude's summarized and altered version of the truth behind Alois' death. **

**Starting now we will be going into the real storyline, so I'm hoping to at least surprise a few of you.**

**I would love to hear comments about the story so far, or if any of you have any concerns about where this story is going. Please, feel free to voice anything at all! I love hearing from you all. :)**

**I loves you all sooooo much, and I shall see you in the next thing that I write! ;)**

**Tataa~**


	9. He Who Will Go To Great Lengths

**... I know, I'm a horrible person. LOOL**

**So sorry I haven't made an update in over a month. I've been super busy with everything lately and on top of that, it's just been plain hectic. I promise though that I will be updating everything within the next week or so. We have inventory of the entire store coming up so as some of you can imagine, things are brutally stressful during those times.**

**So if you'll all just bare with me, I'll finally be able to post and make things up to you all in due time! :)**

* * *

**Magnificence**

**CH IX; He Who Will Go To Great Lengths**

* * *

It was a beautiful morning to match the occasion in which Aelia decided to venture out of the safety of the mansion to meet with her sister Cassidy for the first time since her banishment from the Valda household. She sat alone in the carriage with an expensive, neatly folded piece of stationary that had been addressed to her with directions to a private rendezvous as well as words of apology and hopeful acceptance towards what transpired years ago. Aelia couldn't help the smile that graced her face when she read over Cassidy's words. Excitement had pooled in her stomach and taken over her better judgement, having made arrangements with one of the triplets to escort her to the meeting point without Claude knowing.

The demon in question was off on some sort of business trip having left Aelia in the triplets care. They had been given strict instructions to make sure no harm was to come her and to protect her at all costs. Sorben, who was staying at the mansion, had also been asked with a filtered politeness to keep Aelia company and to make sure she was safe.

Aelia looked out the window with a smile as the carriage passed the grounds of the manor and had reached the main road towards town. Canterbury, having bravely volunteered to face Claude's temper once the elder demon returned from his trip, steered the horses in the right direction and was now taking them on a path that was a shortcut to get around the outskirts of town rather than going straight through. Once the pair had arrived a mere five minute walk from where the rendezvous point was, Canterbury stopped the carriage and hopped down to go and open the door, his hand extending towards Aelia immediately.

"Thank you again Canterbury," Aelia smiled and accepted the hand that was offered to her from outside the carriage and allowed him to help her down the steps. "I understand the trouble that I may have just put you in..."

Canterbury beamed happily like he always did for Aelia. "No trouble at all, Miss! I'm happy to help!"

Aelia giggled and gave the boy a gentle kiss on the cheek. She thanked him once more before gathering up her skirt and began walking down what looked like a small trail. The farther she got into the woods, the more distant the sound of the wheels to her carriage were as Canterbury drove the horses back to the mansion. It had been a request Aelia asked of the demon triplet before their departure, making sure that he would return to the mansion after she had been brought to the location. Much to his dismay, his protests went unheard and left him simply obeying the lady's request.

Her journey up the path led her to a small opening where what looked like a small tea house sat perched at the top of a hill. The house itself was plain and left much to be desired, but it was the reputation of the finest tea on this side of town that gave it the appeal. Aelia walked up the several stone steps before finally reaching the small balcony that lined the entire front of the house, where a familiar face dressed in a baby blue dress sat in waiting at a small black table with a tea set already placed in the center. Cassidy looked over Aelia and stood up with a grand smile on her face as Aelia approached her.

"You came!" Cassidy rushed around the side before walking around the little table to meet her sister with a bone crushing embrace. "Oh, how I've missed you!"

Aelia felt the words of greeting disappear as Cassidy held her tightly, feeling a sob choke at the back of her throat. Despite being a demon, her human emotions had not entirely left her. She could still feel everything that she had once felt before, but held onto the sense of happiness so it would not disappear over time as Claude once said it would.

"I missed you as well," Aelia muttered out softly as she returned Cassidy's hug before pulling herself away. "How have you been?"

Cassidy motioned for her to take a seat and returned to her own. "To tell you the truth I've been fairly decent. I was married to Oliver several months after your departure and we now have a little boy named Quinn and a little girl named Aries," She poured herself a cup of tea and began stirring in the little amount of sugar she added to it. "What about you? Are you fairing well?"

Aelia noted the happiness in the girls voice until she inquired on her own well being. The demoness mimicked Cassidy in preparing her own cup of tea before taking a small sip. It was not as good as when Claude prepared it, but it would do for now.

"I've been well," Aelia smiled small.

Cassidy blinked. "That's it? Come on Aelia, there must be more than that!"

Aelia looked down at her tea and sighed gently. What would Cassidy think if she told her that she had married Claude?

"Well, there is more to it," Aelia looked up slowly and met Cassidy's curious eyes. "I married as well."

The girl across from her grinned. "I knew it! I noticed the ring on your finger but chose not to say a word. How long have you been wed, Aelia?"

Aelia thought for a moment before answering her sister. "A while," She paused and sipped at her tea as she mulled over how she would describe Claude to a very curious Cassidy. "He's been very good to me. In fact, he and I met shortly after what happened."

"So you've been acquainted for a while then," Cassidy smiled before her lips pulled down into a small frown. "About that day–"

Aelia lifted her hand to silence Cassidy. "No need to speak of it. I hold no grudge against you."

There was a long pause as the two fell into an uncomfortable silence. Cassidy took her cup in hand and began moving it around so the liquid inside sloshed gently against the walls of the china. Aelia avoided eye contact much like her elder sibling chose to do as well until finally Aelia inhaled a deep, silent breath before speaking words she mentally prepared with great care.

"What he did was unforgivable," Cassidy looked up to meet Aelia's red orbs. "I will forever hold a grudge against him, but please know that it was never against you."

Cassidy frowned and sighed softly. "I know," She paused for a moment to gather her thoughts. "You know, he passed away a couple years back."

"Oh?" Was Aelia's only reply.

Cassidy nodded. "Darius received a letter from a reliable source who I later found out was father's closest friend, stating that he had been murdered. From what Darius told me, someone had murdered our father and tried to hide the body."

_If only she knew._ Aelia's gaze dropped to the empty china cup she still held in her hand.

"Have they found his murderer?"

"No, they haven't," Cassidy looked at her and attempted a smile. "I thought you of all people would be joyous to hear of his demise."

"I won't lie and say that it is not a relief to know the man who was highly motivated to ship me off to whoever was willing to put up with my distinct differences is now dead," Aelia locked eyes with Cassidy. "There are things you probably are not aware of in concerns to him much later after I had been exiled from the family and with that said, I find it hard to gather any sliver of compassion towards this news."

Hazel eyes locked with apple red ones as Cassidy listened to every word spoken by her sibling. Even she could tell there was a dangerous undertone in Aelia's words.

"What did he do that was so terrible?"

Aelia couldn't help but allow the sadistic grin that begged to be displayed to show itself, causing her canines poking out from the corners of her mouth.

"He tried to have me killed constantly," Aelia released the cup in her hands. "He was quite persistent until he lost information on my whereabouts."

Cassidy remained silent and continued to listen as Aelia revealed the truth to her. Pieces of what Darius had told her in regards to their father were slowly connecting together, the blank spaces finally filling in. Darius had not told her that Aelia was being hunted down. Cassidy wished to believe it was a thoughtful, kind gesture in order to shelter his sister from the harsh reality but it was unfortunate to admit the truth. Darius had come to share Samson's opinion on Aelia and in turn, learned to hate her for what she was.

"Aelia..." Cassidy looked down to her lap. "I'm so sorry this happened to you."

Aelia watched Cassidy as her gaze softened. "Save your apologies Cass."

The elder sibling looked up to Aelia and prepared to speak once more before a loud call caught both of their attention. Cassidy's posture became rigid as her eyes shot towards the direction of the path leading to the hidden tea house. Aelia's eyes followed Cassidy's as she waited for the intruder to make their appearance when a familiar face emerged from the trees.

"Darius," Aelia frowned slightly. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

Darius gave Aelia a scrutinizing look and shamelessly looked her up and down, his eyes taking in every detail of his fully matured younger sibling. He himself had filled out nicely and Aelia found herself admiring the fact he had become so handsome despite his incredible resemblance to their father. The only unsettling factor in this all was the once gentle pepper grey eyes that held a warmth towards her were now filled with a cold detest.

"I see you're still in good health," Darius spoke with a firm tone. His eyes wandered over her once more until they settled on the dazzling fuchsia ring settled on her marriage finger. "I also see that someone has taken you as their wife."

Having experienced heightened emotions ever since the day of her transformation, Aelia felt her temper flare as she pushed herself up with enough force to make the chair she once was sitting on to tumble backwards. Darius watched her as the corner of his mouth twitched upwards into a mocking grin.

"What a temper," Darius crossed his arms. "Unfitting of a real lady."

"Stop, Darius!" Cassidy stood up and rounded the table so she was standing beside her baby sister. "Why are you even here?"

"I've come to collect you so I can return you safely to your family," Darius explained. "However, meeting up with Aelia was something I hadn't expected."

"I asked to meet her here," Cassidy challenged. "And I did it behind your back so I could speak with her privately."

Darius narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. "Well now that you have spoken with her, I think it's time to take your leave."

Aelia sent him a furious glare. "After all these years I've finally been reunited with my sister and you're going to take her away from me?"

"I am," Darius answered quickly. "Besides, you have another guest that I expect will be arriving shortly. He was the one who put the rumor in my ear about your marriage to a man who was in acquaintance with your real father. I suppose I should be thankful for this unexpected meeting though, seeing as how I was going to eventually seek you out to verify for myself that what had been told to me was in fact truth and not lies."

"Another guest?" Aelia's brows furrowed. "Who is he?"

"That is for you to find out on your own," He shot Cassidy a look that left no room for argument. "We leave now."

Cassidy readied her retort when her words were abruptly cut short as Darius struck forward to catch her hand in a firm grasp and proceeded to lead her down the path towards the carriage. Cassidy argued and protested strongly against him, but he was far stronger in comparison and simply ignored her words as he hastily opened the carriage door and forced her inside.

Aelia, who had followed closely, also protested and called for her sister. Darius turned to the flustered girl and held out his hand to stop her, his eyes cold and distant.

"Take this as the last kind words you will hear from your older brother and turn back around," Darius climbed into the carriage but stopped long enough to cast Aelia one last look. "It would be hard even on myself to watch my loved ones leave without a proper farewell, so save yourself the sadness and do not watch us leave."

Aelia's eyes began to sting with the tears that threatened to release as she took a step forward towards the carriage, when the door slammed shut. The driver who had been patiently waiting for their leave, glanced back before snapping the reins and giving the command for the horses to go. Standing there frozen with a mixture of emotions wreaking havoc on her body, Aelia could only watch with wide, unblinking eyes as Darius and Cassidy left without another word.

The small window at the back of the carriage revealed a disgruntled Cassidy as she argued with a silent Darius.

"My, what an unfortunate ending to what could have been a delightful family reunion."

Aelia quickly turned her entire body around to face the source of her distraction and came face-to-face with a young boy who looked to be no older than thirteen years of age. His bright azure eyes and unique steel colored hair gave him a very attractive and mysterious appearance and his attire screamed nobleman to Aelia.

She couldn't put her finger on it, but something about this boy seemed off.

Aelia's attention was quickly pulled from the boy to a taller male standing behind him. Much like Claude, the man was tall and had a very refined air that circulated around him despite his obvious occupation as this boy's butler. He was admittedly very handsome and wore a charming smile. His black hair and red eyes that seemed to match her own made her question his race.

"If you knew that we were parting on bad terms, then you must have witnessed the majority of the meeting," Aelia thought aloud. "Which would mean that you are the guest whom I am to meet here."

"Correct," The boy flashed her what could have been a charming smile had Aelia not been able to see through the deception.

Her apple orbs locked on the boy as she stood her ground. "What is it you want with me?"

"I only wish to speak with you, that is all," The boy answered calmly. "Shall we go somewhere private?"

Aelia motioned to the woods surrounding them. "Isn't this private enough for you?"

"Perhaps, but I would much prefer to be in the comforts of my own home with a cup of tea while you and I have our little chat," Came the response. "Shall we?"

Aelia followed the boys hand as he motioned towards a fancy two-horse carriage that awaited them. She gave it a skeptical glance before meeting azure eyes once more.

"You wish for me to accompany you, but you have not given me a name nor a proper introduction," Aelia sassed. "Shame on you for lacking the skills of a proper gentleman."

The boy began walking towards her. "How foolish of me to overlook such an important part of this meeting," He came to a stop a mere three feet away from her and extended his hand. "My name is Ciel Phantomhive and my butler is Sebastian Michaelis. It is a pleasure to finally meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine," Aelia placed the hand that displayed her ring in his own and watched as he bowed his head slightly, placing a quick kiss on the top of her hand. "I'm assuming that since you were here to meet me that you already know my name."

"Ah," Ciel straightened up and met her with a challenging grin. "It is you who now lacks proper manners."

Aelia allowed his comment to pass and remained silent, even as his grip became tighter on her hand and his body shifted so he was facing the direction of the carriage. The butler Sebastian, was already the door holding it open for the two as he stood patiently waiting and watching the scene before him. Ciel took her silence as compliance and led her towards the opened door before handing her off to Sebastian, who then helped Aelia climb into the carriage and was quickly followed by Ciel.

The two sat in silence even as the entire compartment shifted with each turn of the wheels as they headed off in a secret direction. Aelia stared out the window as the days events flooded through her mind with a vengeance as if to rip off a bandage from an unhealed wound. Darius's bitterness towards her and his hostility when ripping Cassidy away from her was still fresh and had not been dealt with before Ciel's grand appearance, but there would be time to mourn over the loss of what was left of her human family later. Aelia desperately attempted to rein in her thoughts so she could be clear minded when the boy beside her would speak again, for she continued to feel the nagging sensation that had settled in the pit of her stomach.

* * *

**Oou, she's in Ciel's grasp now!**

**That means the real plot will unfold! :)**

**I'm hoping to get back into a system where I can update frequently once more, so please just bare with me for a little while longer... A lot's been going on, so I'm going to try to do the best that I can. :)**

**In the meantime, I would absolutely love to hear what you guys think of this story so far! Reviews keep me going, good or bad!**

**I love you guys sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much, and I hope you all have been having a wonderful start to the summer! :)**

**Tataa~**


	10. The Young Master's Plans

**Hello all and welcome!**

**I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while. I'm either working, at the gym or at the barn with the ponies lately so I'm not really able to do much of anything right now. However, there's a tail end of a hurricane ripping through my side of the province, and it happens to be my weekend off, so I figured I might as well type some chapters up for at least a couple of my series. ;)**

**In this chapter there is mostly Ciel and Aelia, so I apologize for you guys who wanted to see more of Claude, but this chappy is going to be one of those important ones. :)**

**Also, I should apologize for the how short this chapter is. I was running out of time considering the power has been flickering on and off for two hours now (FUCK YOU HIGH WINDS! *shakes fist*) and the battery on the laptop I'm using has no longevity. So yeah!**

**But hey... It's an update, right? RIGHT? ;)**

* * *

**Magnificence**

**CH X; The Young Master's Plans**

* * *

The Phantomhive manor was absolutely stunning. The carefully picked out colors matched the decor perfectly. Everything was placed precisely and not a speck of dust marred even the railings to the grand staircase. The carpets were free of debris and laid down without so much as a bump rippling anywhere in its wake.

"Welcome home, young master!"

Aelia looked over to see three very different servants waiting patiently at the end of the staircase with huge grins lining their faces.

Ciel, who walked through the doors with Aelia by his side and Sebastian trailing behind, looked over his servants before speaking briefly.

"I want you all to introduce yourself to our newest guest before returning to your chores," Ciel spoke calmly. Aelia noticed the lack of powerful authority most noblemen used on their servants while addressed the three standing before him.

The tallest of the three sported what looked like a culinary uniform with the exception of the missing chef hat that usually went with the ensemble. The white apron he wore over top of his uniform was crisp and clean. Even the lenses belonging to the goggles hanging loosely around his neck were spotless. He had messy, short blond hair paired with bright ocean blue eyes and an unlit cigarette perched between his grinning lips. Aelia had to admit that he was exceptionally handsome, even with the stubble covering his sharp jawline giving him a more rugged appeal. He was the first to speak, the charming grin already set in place becoming wider.

"The name's Baldroy," He spoke with a thick Brooklyn accent. "Please to meet ya!"

The male standing beside him also sported blond locks with red barrettes holding back his bangs and bright blue eyes, only he wore a large white shirt with red piping and red and orange plaid paints. She could also see what looked like a large sun hat hanging off his back. At first glance he only looked like a child no older than twelve, but Aelia could tell he was older than that. The boy had very round eyes that made him look so innocent, she couldn't help but grin at how adorable he was. His bright blues seemed to widen and shine at the sight of her grin, making him beam with excitement.

"I'm Finnian, but please, call me Finny!" The boy exclaimed brightly.

Aelia couldn't help but giggle at his enthusiasm.

Lastly, Aelia's eyes fell on a blushing maid that seemed to stare at her through the enormous round spectacles covering the majority of her face. She had bright cherry-red hair pulled back into high pigtails and her bangs were straight cut. Her uniform was of usual standard for maids to wear, being a darker blue long sleeve dress with a crispy clean white pinafore that frilled at the shoulders and matching bonnet. The only thing setting her off from the proper maid image were here white laced, knee-high boots leading father up than the skirt would allow for sight. Like Finny, this girl was rather adorable.

"Hello there!" She had a unique, chipper voice that seemed almost... raspy, as if she were forcing herself to speak in this way. "My name is Mey-Rin!"

Ciel cleared his throat once introductions were finished and looked to Mey-Rin.

"Mey-Rin, make sure Miss Alice has everything she needs and that her accommodations are to her liking," Ciel let Sebastian remove his top hat and coat, his eyes never leaving his maid. "She will be staying with us for the night."

Mey-Rin bowed quickly with a smile. "Yes, sir!"

Aelia watched at the peppy girl quickly left to go tend to her new duties, while the boys stood patiently awaiting their orders. Sebastian was the one to direct them.

"Continue on with your chores," His silky voice reminded Aelia of Claude in an almost eerie way. "And Baldroy, I will be taking care of dinner preparations this evening."

Finny nodded happily and skipped off after being dismissed while Baldroy muttered something to himself while running his fingers through his hair. Nonetheless, he too left the main lobby to go tend to whatever it was that needed done.

"Come Miss Aelia," Ciel turned to Aelia and motioned for her to follow him. "Sebastian will prepare us some tea while we wait in my study."

Aelia nodded and followed closely behind Ciel. Once they climbed the staircase, they walked a little ways down a long corridor until they reached grand set of double doors. Sebastian, who had followed silently, opened the doors for his master and guest before leaving them to tend to the tea. Aelia's eyes went wide as she drank in all the details of the room. Much like her own study, bookshelves that reached the ceiling lined the walls and were filled with books of all subjects.

"Please, sit," Ciel took his rightful spot behind the large oak desk and sat back into his high-back plush chair.

Aelia looked at Ciel before walking towards another high-back chair that matched his own. It was positioned perfectly angled so that she could see would be able to sip at her tea as well as converse with the Earl comfortably.

"Will you tell me what business you have me with now, Ciel?" Aelia sat back against the plush cushion and sighed lightly, relaxing into the chair.

Ciel made no response as he glanced at the door. Seconds later, Sebastian gave a gentle knock before entering the room while pushing a silver cart with an expensive looking china tea set and a wicker basket with freshly made scones.

"I have for you a simple earl grey tea with freshly baked scones," Sebastian announced calmly as he poured Ciel's cup and set it down in front of him before looking at Aelia. "Might I ask what you take in your tea, my lady?"

"Plain is just fine, thank you..." Aelia felt her cheeks burn ever so slightly at his gesture. _He's just like Claude..._

Sebastian smiled and poured her cup of tea and set it on a small table that had somehow appeared by her side moments ago. Aelia thanked him and picked up the saucer and held it in her hand as she lifted the delicate china cup from its perch and took a small sip.

"My compliments to your ability to make outstanding tea," Aelia blinked and looked up at Sebastian. "I've never tasted an earl grey so good in my entire life."

Sebastian gracefully bowed to her. "Why thank you, Miss Aelia."

Ciel watched the two for a moment before clearing his throat.

"Shall we begin?"

Aelia looked at Ciel and nodded, continuing to sip at her tea as Ciel spoke.

"You are currently living at the Trancy estate, are you not?" Ciel began. When Aelia gave a curt nod, he continued. "It would be safe to assume that Claude Faustus is your butler?"

Aelia gripped the handle on her cup tightly. "You know who Claude is?"

"He was Alois Trancy's butler when he was still alive," Ciel looked right at her. "He was also the cause of the earl's death."

Crimson eyes narrowed at Ciel. "It wasn't Claude, it was a woman named Hannah Anafeloz that killed Alois."

"That is only partially true," Ciel smirked. "Hannah played her part well and was in fact the final piece that set the plan all into motion, but it was in fact Claude Faustus who is responsible for the Trancy's death."

Aelia let her eyes shift downwards as she picked through all of the information being fed to her. Claude had been sure to explain the entire event and how it unfolded that night when Alois had been stolen from him, but... had he lie?

"Claude told me Hannah had planned to steal Alois from Claude by reuniting him and a boy named Luca, who she had previously created a contract with before Alois," Aelia began. "If he and Claude had formed a contract earlier on before she had been able to, how was it that she was able to steal him from his butler?"

Ciel narrowed his visible eye ever so slightly. _She's observant, and she already knows enough that it will be impossible to contradict with what happened in order to sway her._

"I know how this ordeal works in regards to forming a Faustian contract with a demon, as I was once a contract holder myself," Aelia added quickly, recycling the question she had previously asked. "So how exactly does another demon form a contract with a human who is already marked?"

"The young master was brought into the feud after Claude had a taste of his blood," Sebastian cut in, earning a sharp glare from Ciel. "When a demon becomes obsessed with a human soul, it consumes their mind and body until they have drained every last drop from the human. Claude had this experience with my young master."

Aelia's brow furrowed. "So, Ciel was a human?"

"That's correct," Ciel emptied his cup before setting it down. "Hannah is to blame for my transformation, despite Claude being the real reason why I am what I am now."

"I still don't understand what Claude did?" Aelia muttered aloud. "You said when a demon becomes obsessed with a soul, it basically consumes them," There was a brief pause as she looked from Ciel to Sebastian. "What did he do?"

"Claude and I were to duel for rightful ownership of the young master," Sebastian revealed.

"He had been stolen away from me and during that time, Claude managed to mix Alois Trancy's soul with my young masters in hopes that under the influence of another being inside of him, Ciel would demand out contract be terminated. Hannah took that moment of weakness on both of our parts to steal both of the earl's away in order to create a deal with Alois. Her terms were simple and unfortunately, Claude and I had played both right into their hands.

"It was declared in the new contract between Alois Trancy and Hannah Anafeloz that Claude and I were to engage in an official duel over the young master's soul. The terms of their deal also stated that no matter the outcome of the battle, Ciel's soul would be out of reach to both Claude and myself and he would be turned into a demon."

Aelia took in his words and sat in silence. Hannah had gone to all that trouble to ensure Alois's will would be achieved? But, why would be go to such great lengths?

"Alois Trancy was in love with Claude," Sebastian seemed to read her thoughts as he answered the very question weighing heaviest on her mind. "He wanted nothing more than for Claude to acknowledge him and his very existence as more than just a meal."

Aelia frowned and looked down at her lap. "How tragic..."

"Enough about Trancy," Ciel spat out in annoyance. "Let us discuss why you are here."

Aelia looked up at Ciel and nodded.

"I had the pleasure of meeting your father, Sorben," Ciel began and smirked at the shocked expression crossing Aelia's face. "He and I made a deal that I think you will be most interested in."

"And what would that be?" Aelia's crimson eyes narrowed.

Ciel met her gaze without hesitation. "He and I wish for the same thing, and that is to make use of your power over the demonic world and train you to become the queen you so rightfully deserve to be."

Aelia went wide eyed. "W-What?"

"Your father made it very clear that you were of royal bloodline," Ciel's smirk never faltered. "Even with your human heritage, you still have Urbana blood coursing through your veins. You can rule."

Her fists bawled tightly as she clenched the skirt of her dress in attempts to fight off the shaking her body was doing. Sebastian stood to the side silently and watched her closely, allowing his young lord to begin the preparations in order to persuade Aelia to join their side.

"What's the catch?" Aelia mumbled softly, her eyes not looking up to meet his own.

Ciel seemed amused that she would ask that question this early in the game. "Upon his terms, he requires the life of your butler."

"You mean Claude?" Aelia narrowed her eyes sharply at the young boy.

Ciel's visible eye trailed downwards until it caught sight of the fuchsia ring displayed proudly on Aelia's finger before meeting her eyes. "I see he is no longer your butler."

At his accusation, Aelia caught the undertone in his voice.

"Tell me Ciel," She set her saucer and cup onto the small table beside her so it would not break should she get angry. "How much do you already know about me?"

"I know more than you may think," Ciel never attempted to hide that face. "You went under the Faustian contract with Claude after your human step-father disowned you. Claude assisted you, much like Sebastian has been doing for me, in attaining your revenge against that man and once the contract had been fulfilled, Claude insisted you become his mate."

Aelia gave him a dangerous look. "And what does my father have to do with any of this?"

"Your father originally gave me a blessing as a possible candidate to become your mate," Ciel gave a smug grin as he brought both elbows up onto the desk and leaned forward to let his chin rest on top of his threaded fingers. "However, I have no intention on taking a mate this early as a demon."

Aelia could feel her temper flare. "I don't believe you."

"Oh?" Ciel watched her carefully knowing he had her exactly where he wanted her. Using that little fib about her father's blessing worked like a charm. "And why is that?"

The young girl stood up angrily. "My father and I have already discussed this, and my apologies young sir, but those details are entirely none of your business!"

"Oh but they are," Ciel glanced towards Sebastian, who had already made his way over to the doors to prevent Aelia from exiting the room. "Seeing as how you and I will be working closely from now on, I suggest cooperate and answer my questions but first I will have to ask you to calm down."

"Why is it so bad that I am mated to Claude Faustus?" Aelia demanded in rage. "If you have dealings with him than why must I be a part of it?"

"Simple. I want him dead, and in order to do that, I must take away what he treasures most."

The calm tone of voice Ciel used to answer her question startled her and made her entire body rigid.

He wanted Claude dead? Was it because of what transpired years ago when he was thought to be dead after fruitlessly chasing after a soul that was not his to take? Or was it because Alois Trancy had been an enemy of Ciel Phantomhive, and since the earl was gone, the grudge would be held against the butler?

"I need you alive in order to accomplish my new goal," Ciel stood up from his chair. "I also need your cooperation."

"What makes you think I will go along with this?" Aelia glared. "He is my mate! I will protect him should you try and harm him!"

Ciel was hoping she would say that and smirked in response. "Not to worry, that has already been taken care of as well."

Before Aelia could respond, Sebastian opened the double doors to reveal a very enraged Claude. Ciel's eyes narrowed slightly as he spotted a very bashful Mey-Rin standing off to the side. _She must have let him in?_ Claude entered the room at a brisk pace and soon put himself between Ciel and Aelia, his golden eyes narrowed in a smoldering gaze.

"I believe that is enough visiting for today," Claude masked the anger in his voice as he faced Aelia. "Come my dear, the carriage outside is waiting."

Aelia looked up at him and nodded slowly, still not entirely sure how he figured out she was here or how he arrived so quickly. Claude offered his arm to her and soon she linked her own with his, not sparing Ciel a final glance as she allowed Claude to lead her out of the study. Her eyes met with Sebastian's briefly as the couple passed by and noted the sinister look deep down within his red orbs. The thought alone of what was yet to come made Aelia's stomach twist.

* * *

**Welp, that was an interesting chapter. And UN-EDITED. Dun dun dunnnnn! Yeah... we all saw that coming, didn't we? ****It's that bloody wind, I'm tellin' ya! It's making it really difficult to write anything tonight, so I just decided to post this anyways. LOOL**

**Next time we'll see Sorben again, and trust me, I'm going to be putting a lot of effort into that chapter so please be kind!**

**What do you all think of Ciel's advances? What about Sebastian and that look he gave her before she left? What is Ciel and Sebastian's big plan that they have for our little miss Aelia? Will Claude actually die? Do you think Ciel was really lying when he mentioned to Aelia that Sorben had given him "a blessing" to become a candidate for her to marry?**

**So many questions, so little time! This story is coming to a close with only four or five chapters left, so now's the time to ask questions galore!**

**Oh, and I should mention that I'm not apposed to killing off main characters, so just because this is a Claude story, don't think I'm not capable of being heartless enough to kill him off. Or Aelia for that matter. Teehee teehee~ ;)**

**With that being said, I'd like to know how some of you think the story is going to end? Send me a PM or even write a review saying what you think will happen! I'll give y'all lots and lots of cookies if you can figure it out. ;)**

**Please let me know in the reviews what you think is going to happen!**


	11. The Truth – His Reasoning (PT I)

**Hello all! :)**

**Sorry it's been a while since I posted anything. Recently my boss has decided that working an eight day stretch followed by one day off and than ANOTHER seven – eight day stretch is a good thing. All I seem to do on my day off in between the stupidity that is my work schedule is sleep, but now I have three days off in a row (SCORE ;D) so I decided that today is the day I get chiz done! Woot!**

**As I stated before in the previous chapter, I'll be putting a lot into this one so please try and keep the hate to a minimum. It's not the big shocker chapter, but it's got quite a bit of information for the readers this time. There's a lot that's going to be happening within the next little bit, as well as the close of the story. The next chapter will most likely have a lot more to it than this one, so please stay tuned.**

**I hope you all enjoy this! :)**

**... Un-edited... As usual. LOOL**

* * *

****Magnificence****

**XI; The Truth – His Reasoning**

* * *

_"Your father originally gave me a blessing as a possible candidate to become your mate."_

Aelia tossed and turned in her bed as Ciel's words echoed in her mind. She replayed certain parts over and over again in attempts to find the hidden meaning behind his choice of words, but it only became borderline obsession when she could not think of anything else. What bothered her the most was Ciel's so-called deal with her father, Sorben. He had been very vague and chose to reveal very little to her as to keep her hooked and interested. She knew this would be his tactic to ensure Aelia would return to him.

With her annoyance causing her to become restless, Aelia soon found herself carried by her feet to the back of the mansions where she stood in front of the gardens.

_'Ciel stated my father wishes for me to groomed into becoming the new queen of the demonic world,'_ Aelia thought to herself, her fingers grasping for a strand of her long hair to twirl absentmindedly. _'So then, Ciel must have been telling me the truth.'_

"Miss Aelia!"

Red eyes flickered towards the source of Timber's voice as the purple haired triplet approached. Aelia turned to fully face him and offered a calm smile.

"What is it, Timber?"

Timber stopped a few feet from her and bowed at the waist with a hand to his chest before standing straight, but still did not meet her eye even after countless times of being told he and his brothers could do so.

"There's a letter for you, Miss!" He swiftly brought his hand up to produce said letter, extending his arm fully to offer the expensive stationary to her. "It was addressed to you so I hid it from your husband!"

Aelia blinked but gave a short giggle as she accepted the letter from Timber and gave it a quick once-over. The writing was far more beautiful than anything she had ever read before and clearly belonged to someone of status.

"It only says _'Miss Aelia Faustus'_?" She looked at Timber. "Did you see who delivered this letter?"

"No ma'am," He looked solemn, as if he's disappointed Aelia. "The bell was rung and when I opened the door, I found that just laying there!"

Aelia looked down at the letter once more and frowned, her brows furrowing in confusion. Only a handful of people knew of her marriage to Claude. Even so, Aelia was quickly able to go through the short process of elimination to try and pinpoint who it may have been written by and found that the writing did not belong to either her sister nor did it belong to Ciel Phantomhive.

"Thank you, Timer," Aelia looked at him and reached out to touch his cheek in an affectionate gesture, a warm smile crossing over her face. "Once again, you boys have put yourselves in danger of a nasty reprimand at the hands of Claude. If I tell you to mind yourself and stop putting your life at risk, will you listen this time?"

Timber grinned from ear to ear, "Nope!" With that, he gave one more bow before disappearing back into the mansion.

Aelia giggled softly as she watched him and once he was out of sight, she turned and walked into the garden labyrinth to seek out the small dining table Claude had stationed in the center for privacy. Once she was there she used her free hand to pull the white chair out from under the small table and sat down, her other hand still gripping the mysterious letter. She stared at it in thought for a few moments longer before beginning to open it carefully.

Once the letter was freed from the envelope, Aelia unfolded it slowly and was met with more beautiful hand writing. Her eyes quickly scanned through the writing for any indication of who it was from, when her eyes landed on an most unexpected name.

There was an audible gasp that escaped Aelia's lips as her fingers released the letter, her eyes trained on the paper as it lay on the table, "Impossible..."

* * *

Sorben sat perched on the ledge of his bedroom window with a book in his hands, his eyes scanning lazily over the same page countless time without aim. He sighed deeply as he leaned back against the window and closed his eyes for a moment.

"I wonder if the plan has been set in motion yet." He pondered aloud.

If things were to go as planned, Aelia would have already been introduced to the Phantomhive boy and his butler. Sorben smirked to himself knowing that Ciel most likely would not have held back in telling Aelia about their plans to eliminate Claude.

_'I'm sorry Aelia'_, Sorben thought to himself sadly. _'It really is nothing entirely personal. That spider just has a lot of enemies, that's all.'  
_

He couldn't help but chuckle to himself at his failed attempts to convince even himself that this would be for the best.

"Lord Sorben," Thompson entered the room and bowed at the waist. "Miss Aelia's in the garden if you want to speak to her. Claude's out so you won't be disturbed!"

Sorben chuckled and looked over at the triplet. "I find it highly amusing how you speak with such respect in regards to Claude."

"As always!" Thompson grinned as he turned on his heel and exited the room.

Shaking his head with another chuckle, Sorben quickly got up and turned to face the window before opening it fully and hopping out. He landed gracefully on his feet and began walking through the maze of perfectly trimmed rose bushes, eventually finding Aelia sitting at the little white table in the middle of the labyrinth.

His eyes immediately fell on the letter currently laying untouched on the table while Aelia sat there staring at it. She was completely still, almost frighteningly so. In regards to the letter she was currently fixated on, Sorben could also not deny the scent that began wafting through his senses the closer he got to the table.

_'Impossible'_, Sorben's eyes narrowed.

The elder demon crossed the distance between him and Aelia, who turned to look up at him slowly upon his entrance to the area with her red eyes wide in confusion.

"Father... I–I don't understand how this is possible?" She looked back down at the letter and carefully picked it up with delicate fingers before lifting it up for Sorben to examine. "You told me she was dead?"

Sorben accepted the letter and carefully glanced over the words until his eyes reached the signature at the bottom. Much to his dismay, he had been correct in his assumptions when he caught that unmistakable scent as soon as he entered the area. A scent he had not been subjected to for near a millennium.

"Zelina must have written this before she was killed," Sorben thought aloud. "She must have known I would father a half-human child that would eventually take her place."

Aelia narrowed her eyes. "How could she have possibly known that?"

"She had the gift of sight," Sorben looked down at Aelia. "Which is something she passed onto you."

"You mean, she could see the future?" Aelia asked slowly. When Sorben nodded, her brows furrowed. "If she passed that gift onto me, then how is it I didn't seen you or Claude coming before it happened?"

"You're only becoming one with your demonic heritage now Aelia, these gifts take time to hone and train," Sorben sighed and took the seat across the little table from her. "If it's any condolence, my gift took me almost three-hundred years to perfect."

Aelia watched her father carefully and tilted her head to the side ever so slightly. "Your gift?"

He grinned. "Why yes. All of the Urbana children had gifts. Mine isn't as fancy and desired as yours is, but it's pretty entertaining for the immediate purposes or if you're in a bit of a pickle."

"What is it?" She blinked, possibilities buzzing through her head as she went over any supernatural powers that she may have come across in early childhood readings.

The grin never left Sorben's face. "I can talk to animals, whether it be animals in this world or in our world," He paused and chuckled to himself, "I won't try and bullshit you though. Talking to a giraffe or a penguin is much more entertaining than talking to a hell hound."

Aelia giggled at his words. "Why a giraffe?"

"Why not a giraffe?" Sorben blinked innocently. "They're big and friendly."

A cheerful laughter spilled over Aelia's lips as she momentarily forgot about their original conversation topic at hand in order to enjoy the seconds of blissful humor her father was giving her. Once the laughter died down, Aelia caught her breath and resumed her interrogation.

"How does my ability work?" Aelia asked in blunt honesty.

Sorben smiled. "Well, I can tell you what I know but since it's not my ability I can't exactly tell you everything. Zelina told me that it worked somewhat similar to what the man made crystal ball theory goes by. She said when her visions became clearer, it was like they were dreams that she couldn't escape, good or bad."

"So she was in the visions too?" Aelia frowned.

Sorben nodded. "I think she realized the full potential of her ability when she saw her own death a thousand years before it happened," He paused and sank back into his chair. "Told me she was to be killed by our enemy clan's strongest warrior. Ironically, he was the man she would have married had she not refused to take a mate."

"That's horrible!" Aelia exclaimed.

"What part? Being killed by your own mate or seeing your death first hand?" Sorben asked, his voice laced with amusement.

Aelia frowned. "I can't imagine how awful it would be to see your own death before it happens. I would obsess."

"She did," Sorben began. "That was a very big factor of her downfall."

"So this man that caused her death," Aelia glanced down at the letter, "Is he still alive?"

"No. I was there during the war between the clans, and it was by my hand that he was killed."

"So you killed him because he killed Zelina?"

"Yeah," He sighed. "She was part of the Urbana family and she was the closest thing to a queen our world had seen in over four thousand years."

Aelia's eyes locked onto his own and it was then that Sorben could practically see a question looming in her red depths.

"She was closer to you than you're letting on, father." Aelia stared him down.

Sorben never ripped his gaze from hers and did not blink, "Yes, she was. Zelina was my elder sister, although no one really knew that."

Aelia nodded, pleased by his conformation of her own assumption. The two sat in silence for a moment, now with both sets of eyes on the letter sent by Zelina herself. Neither one of them made a move to touch the letter, nor did they have the curiosity to know what exactly had been written.

"If she's dead," Aelia finally cut the silence. "How did this arrive here with my married name on it?"

Sorben chuckled. "Knowing of the ability you and Zelina share, you really want me to answer that?"

"So she saw me before she died?"

"Yep," Sorben smirked. "Damn woman didn't tell me about you either."

* * *

"Young master, tell me... Why is it you let Miss Faustus leave the manor without ordering me to stop Claude from taking her?"

Sebastian followed behind Ciel as he walked up the grand staircase leading up towards his study. The younger demon remained silent until the pair entered the room with Sebastian closing the door behind them. Ciel made it his way to his desk and took a seat on the large cushioned chair, his elbows immediately resting on the top of the desk as his fingers locked together.

A grin spread across his face as he looked at his butler, "Sebastian tell me, if I had of ordered you to kill Claude, what would that have accomplished?"

"Do you really wish for me to answer that question, young lord?" Sebastian inquired humorously.

As expected, Ciel chuckled to himself and closed his eyes, "Of course not, because you and I both know what the answer is. It would be meaningless to eliminate Claude at this moment, even more so with the trouble we had to go through to gain Sorben's cooperation."

Sebastian nodded. "Of course. So what of Miss Faustus?"

"Urbana," Ciel corrected as he shot Sebastian a sudden hard glare. "Do not address her with that foul name."

"My apologies, young lord," Sebastian gave a quick bow before returning to an upright position and giving a vocalized correction of his question. "What of Miss Urbana?"

"She is where she needs to be at this particular moment in time," Ciel began. "Despite the original agreements I had laid out for Sorben to accept, he wasn't particularly thrilled at the idea of us keeping custody of his daughter. He wished for her to be under his watchful eye, as well as where he could keep a close watch on Claude. As you know Sebastian, the plan is in motion and Aelia left this manor with a considerable amount of information to think over."

Sebastian grinned. "Yes, the plan will surely work as long as Sorben keeps to his side of the deal."

"Everything will go smoothly," Ciel stated with confidence. "We were able to give Sorben what he could not refuse. He won't fail us."

* * *

"Father, can you verify something for me?" Aelia slowly began, Ciel's words coursing through her mind as she prepared what she was about to ask.

Sorben's brow rose, "Of course. What is it?"

"Have you met Ciel Phantomhive?" Sorben's eyes narrowed slightly giving her confirmation. "So then, what Ciel said was true..."

Sorben watched as she spoke more to herself than to him. "What did he tell you?"

"A lot of things, but there's something he said that I can't stop replaying in my head," Aelia sat back against her chair and closed her eyes, the young Phantomhive's face flooding into her mind.

"I had a feeling he would say _that_," Sorben sighed, immediately knowing what Aelia was referring to. "And yes, I did give him a blessing to become your mate. I had reasons for it."

"Like what?" Aelia asked, a little shocked that her father would so willingly admit to that surprising fact.

Sorben shrugged. "He's a nobleman, so he would be more than capable of helping you take over where Zelina left off. Sebastian is also someone who I feel I can trust. He was there during the tail end of the war between our clans and fought along side me and a friend of mine."

"So you've known Sebastian for a very long time?" Her eyes went somewhat wide.

Sorben grinned. "Yep, although when I knew him his name wasn't Sebastian. It was Salpsan."

"Wait... Isn't that the name of the son of Satan?" Aelia frowned.

Her father nodded. "Well, he is the owner of that name, is he not?"

"So Sebastian is actually the son of Satan?!" Aelia exclaimed. "How did Ciel contract such a powerful demon!"

"Satan had many sons," Sorben explained. "Salpsan is simply one of them. Malachi is also one of sons that has come to this side and is currently contracted to a human. The one you will meet once you've come to our world is named Anzu, but he prefers to be called Asura. You'll find him extremely amusing and will most likely get along with him when your mate is not around. Anzu is one of Claude's biggest threats and has been a rival of his for many years."

Aelia sighed deeply and closed her eyes as the information sank in. Surely Sorben knew that she would not remember these names, nor would she remember any small details she was sure her father was going to give her on each individual eventually.

"Does Claude have any siblings I should know about?" Aelia asked quietly and almost hesitantly.

Sorben shrugged. "Not that I know of off hand, but I'm sure he does. The usual past time in Hell is having sex with your mate or any other demon who wants it, so his extended family most likely indulged as well."

Aelia's cheeks flushed a bright red. Maybe it was good idea that Claude marked her and unknowingly saving her from a future of harassment and embarrassment from other male demons.

"Zelina would have been excited to meet you," Sorben suddenly smiled as he watched Aelia, "For those of us who knew her as a kind person and not the stone-cold demon that those who opposed her saw, she was quite similar to you," He gave a loud chuckle at something he must have thought about first before finally grinning at his daughter, "It's almost as if you were picked right out of her ass or something."

Aelia glared but Sorben could tell she didn't take that as an insult, "Dad!"

"So you call me 'father' when the mood is serious, but you call me 'dad' when we're joking around?" Sorben mulled over this and nodded to himself. "I guess I can accept that."

"Can you tell me what Claude's name is?" Aelia glanced down at the letter once more, her attention drifting back to the idea of Zelina knowing of her long before she was even a thought.

Sorben looked at Aelia, "Xaphan, son of Pithius. There won't be any worries about meeting Pithius either, he's actually quite a funny man and would find it rather entertaining that luck had fallen on his side that his son married an Urbana. He's completely look over the fact you were human born."

"So would he insulted that Claude married me if I wasn't your daughter?" Aelia frowned, "Being a human born and all."

"Mhmm, mostly likely not," Sorben shrugged. "The man couldn't exactly care less about what his children do. As he sees it, he's done his part in growing them up to where they need to be and sent them all on their way. As much as it pains me to say this as well, Claude does come from a noble bloodline so some purebreds may find it a little disrespectful to our world that he married a human born but once they know you're my child, they'll change their attitude rather quickly."

Aelia smiled small. She didn't really want to use her father's heritage as means to gain popularity in the other world, but she couldn't help but be a little thankful that he title would insure her's and Claude's safety. She wouldn't have to worry that Claude would be killed in fear of the last living Urbana's retaliation.

"You should know that Satan will want to meet with you," Sorben looked at Aelia with a serious expression. "But don't address him as that, he'll be slightly annoyed that you use that title on him."

Aelia bit her bottom lip nervously, "So what do I call him?"

"Mhmm," Sorben pondered over how he would announce this. "He would probably prefer you to call him grandfather, but then again he can be quite unpredictable."

* * *

**Bahahaha! Shitty cliffy alert!**

**Sorry about no Claude in this chapter! He'll be in the next one, trust me. ;)**

**Also, I want to point out that I got my inspiration for using other names from a couple of other Kuroshitsuji fictions I have read before, as well as a few others that are not anime related from other websites and from actual novels I have read before. I chose the names that stood out to me from the website I went to, but I never really did any research into it so if the names I've paired together don't make much sense and are complete opposites, please don't mind that! This will most likely be the one and only time I use demonic names in the rest of this series, so keep that in mind.**

**The idea for the demonic gifts was also an inspiration from a book I read by one of my favorite authors, although I manipulated the actual gifts given to my characters so they would be similar to my own ideals. There will be more to Aelia's gift that will be revealed later on. :)**

**... It's not like I research demons anyways, so yeah... LOOL**

**Anywhoo, we only have a handful of other chapters left before the end of this series and as always, I've saved what I call the best for last!**

**I want to apologize if this chapter jumps around quite a bit. It was more a filler so that I could have Sorben and Aelia have more than a few words exchanged and have a substantial amount of private time together.**

**Also, the letter sent from the mysterious Zelina will also be revealed in the next chapter. ;)**

**I also want to tell you guys that this month is going to be pretty busy for me, so I will most likely be slow with updates but I'm hoping that I can avoid road blocks and get this story finished before September!**

**Tataa for now~**


	12. The Truth – His Reasoning (PT II)

**Hey all!**

**So this chapter has a bit of a twist at the end and will also be the hook that gets the ball rolling for Ciel's big plan - somewhat. ;D**

**I also have something at the end of this chapter that I hope no one was expecting, but who knows, maybe you all saw through the great big plot I had all thought out. I won't be disappointed if everyone saw this coming, but I will be a little pleased if I managed to shock at least one of you. ;)**

* * *

**Magnificence**

**XII; The Truth – His Reasoning (PT II)**

* * *

It was late in the evening when Claude began his journey back to the manor. Despite the usual characteristics that his former self would have displayed, he found himself feeling hollow and empty when his mate was not in his immediate presence. He had grown accustomed to having her near for such an extended period of time that now his inner demon felt like it needed her constantly. A touch of her hand or a whisper off her lips seemed to sate the beast within, but was only a quick fix. Claude let himself become overly possessive with Aelia and constantly found himself becoming increasingly angry when the triplets would occupy more of her personal time than he himself was.

There was another issue that Claude also had to deal with in regards to the Earl Phantomhive and the ever infuriating Sebastian Michaelis.

After interrogating the triplets and discovering Aelia's whereabouts after thoroughly punishing Canterbury for his involvement in Aelia's secret plans to meet with her sister and later let herself be willingly taken to the Phantomhive manor, Claude had immediately rushed to retrieve his mate. When he arrived, he was surprised to hear the young Earl speaking so openly with Aelia and decided to listen until the time would be right to go in and collect his mate.

What he heard that day caused a stir and would later bring him to the decisions leading up to this point.

Ciel Phantomhive and Sebastian Michaelis were working together with Sorben Urbana in attempts to remove Aelia from his side and to kill him.

There was a simple solution, really.

Claude would directly intercept their plans and eliminate them all before they could rip Aelia and himself apart.

* * *

"Welcome home Claude!" Aelia smiled small as she watched her male counterpart remove his cloak before handing it off to one of the triplets. "How was your business trip?"

Claude walked to Aelia and reached up to stroke her cheek gently, "It all went well."

She smiled and brought her hand up to cup over his own. Claude leaned down and placed a chaste kiss to her forehead before offering his arm for her to take. The two scaled the stairs and eventually walked the entire length of the hallway leading to their bedroom door. Once inside, Claude closed the door behind them and swiftly hauled the unsuspecting Aelia off her feet before crossing the room to unceremoniously dump her onto the bed.

"C-Claude!" Aelia felt her cheeks burn as she looked up at him with wide eyes.

His eyes flashed a vibrant fuchsia before returning to their golden color as an amused smirk splayed out on his lips. "My dear, you look rather vulnerable looking up at me like that," He reached down to place his hands on the bed to support his weight as he trapped her beneath him, "Do these situations still make you uncomfortable?"

"N-No," Aelia squeaked as he leaned closer towards her. "You just surprised me, that's all!"

The smirk on his face grew as he leaned down to finally capture her lips in a heated kiss. Aelia responded almost immediately and reached up to lace her fingers into his hair to draw him in closer, her own lips clashing furiously against his own. She hadn't realized how much her body desperately wanted his touch until this moment as the inner heat began to pool in her lower abdomen like once before. She could feel his own desire for her with his touch and the way he pressed himself against her once his own figure had fully climbed over her, and soon the two were wrapped together in a passionate dance of naked flesh and carnal desire that lasted almost the entire night.

Aelia sighed contently as Claude nuzzled the crook her neck affectionately. After their recent activities, the two settled into a comfortable embrace with Aelia cuddled into his chest while Claude held her.

"What brought this on?" Aelia mused as she continued to stroke the back of his arm with the tips of her fingers.

Claude glanced down at her, his voice laced with amusement, "Is it so wrong of me to seek affection from my mate?"

"Absolutely not!" Aelia giggled and looked up at him.

In one of the rare moments between the two, Claude's lips pulled back in a charming, real smile that caused a flutter in Aelia's insides. With another content sigh, Aelia leaned up to claim his lips in a gentle kiss before assuming her position snuggled into his chest once more.

"I missed your company," Claude suddenly admitted, "It's been too long since I've embraced you, let alone showed you any manner of attention."

Claude felt Aelia smile against his chest, "Is this your way of apologizing for being busy, Claude? In that case, I should also apologize for my absences' as well."

A deep chuckle rumbled deep within his chest as he brought a hand up from her waist to play with her long, silver locks.

_'Soon,'_ Claude thought to himself, his eyes trained to the girl huddled so closely against him. _'Soon I will put an end to this game those who appose me and threaten what is mine.'_

* * *

"I'm surprised you left her alone inside on a peaceful night like tonight," Sorben said aloud, "Weren't you the one who insinuated that there's been a lack of personal time spent together?"

Sorben and Claude now stood facing one another in the centre of the giant labyrinth behind the mansion, both with casual postures but both ready to defend themselves.

"I regrettably have some unfinished business to take care of first before I dedicate the necessary time to Aelia and Aelia alone," Claude answered calmly.

Sorben grinned, "So you're finally going to come and face me," He pulled his hands from his trouser pockets and lifted them so his arms were stretched wide at his sides, "Well then, lets settle this like men, shall we?"

"You mistake my motives for coming to see you as a threatening one," Claude observed the elder demon, "I simply wish to talk."

"Oh?" Sorben let his hands fall back to his sides and his eyebrow rose, "What about?"

Claude's eyes became cold and hard like they were before his meeting with Aelia, "I simply wish to know your part in Ciel Phantomhive's plot to kill me."

"Ah, that!" Sorben chuckled and pocketed his hands once more, "That child really is a protege, isn't he? He even managed to pair himself with a demon like Salpsan."

"You may continue your vocalized admiration of the young earl at a later time. For now, I wish for you to answer my question," Claude narrowed his eyes ever so slightly.

Sorben grinned, "A little impatient, are we? Very well, I'll tell you what I can although it is the earl you should be interrogating."

Claude stood patiently waiting as the elder demons lips suddenly pulled into an amused grin.

"My task is easy," Sorben began to explain, "Ciel asked me to remove Aelia from the manor and hand her over to Sebastian."

Claude narrowed his eyes dangerously, "And what does your role become after you steal your daughter from me?"

"I help Ciel and Sebastian kill you," Sorben suddenly became serious and the normal cheery aura around him radiated with dangerous intent, "Although, I was not exactly given the honor of delivering the final blow. Ciel wanted to save that one for himself once Sebastian and I stripped you of your limbs."

"I see," Claude smirked suddenly, his golden orbs staring the elder demon down with a mixture of hate and something Sorben could not quite catch. "Then, I shall have no choice but to retaliate and kill you."

Sorben snorted, "You can try, but you forget who you're dealing with."

* * *

Aelia shifted slightly and reached out to drape her arm over Claude's stomach only to have it lay flat on the sheets where the male demon should have been. Her eyes slowly fluttered open as she frowned slightly at the discovery of his absence.

"Claude?" She slowly pushed herself up into a sitting position and looked around the room, "I wonder where he went?"

Aelia climbed out of the bed and pulled her clothing on before venturing out into the halls. She called out his name several times but to her displeasure, the only reply she got were the sounds of her own echo down the empty hallways.

"Where in hell did he go?" Aelia frowned.

"Miss Aelia!"

Aelia looked forward to see the triplets rushing towards her, all three looking worse for ware.

"What happened to you three?!" Aelia went wide eyed, immediately rushing to the three as she began to fret over their wounds.

Timber frowned and bowed politely despite his abdominal injury, "It's Lord Sorben and Claude!"

"They're fighting 'bout somethin'!" Canterbury added.

Thompson nodded quickly, "Claude's mighty pissed off at Lord Sorben too! Both of them are in rough shape!"

"WHAT?" Aelia yelled loudly, her eyes impossibly wide.

* * *

With a gasp Ciel's eyes snapped out as his body shot upwards into a sitting position. His chest heaved with each heavy breath he drew and soon he was able to calm himself enough to focus on his surroundings. Still in his master bedroom sitting beneath the silk sheets to his king size bed, he threw the bedding off his legs and swung his legs over the side.

"Sebastian!" Ciel called as he hopped down off his bed and grabbed his robe. Once his demon butler appeared, looking rather shocked to see his master awake so early, he locked eyes with Ciel, "Prepare some tea and meet me in my study."

"As you wish, my lord," Sebastian bowed at the waist and soon disappeared once more to complete his task.

The young earl walked through his bedroom door to wader the hallway leading towards his study as he pondered over what his dream had been about. It was nothing out of the ordinary for the young Phantomhive to have a dream where friends, family or people he had become acquainted with to die at the hands of a human or demon killer, but this was different. Ciel had not been able to identify the killer in his dream, or eve the victim for that matter. It left an unsettling feeling bottle in the pit of his stomach. That itself bothered the young earl to no end.

Once in his study, Ciel walked towards the window behind his desk and stared out into the darkness. Even when Sebastian entered the room with the cart topped with his tea and assorted sweets, Ciel didn't turn to face him. It was only when Sebastian announced that his tea was served, and handed him the china cup seated on a saucer that the earl finally looked at his butler.

Accepting his earl gray tea, Ciel sipped the liquid absentmindedly as Sebastian stood by his side silently, still somewhat confused as to why his young master wandered out of his bedroom to his study in the middle of the night.

"Young master," Sebastian started slowly, "Is there a reason why you're awake at this hour?"

Ciel opened his unconcealed eye to look at Sebastian, "I have an unsettling feeling and could not relax."

"I see," The elder demon tilted his head to the side, "Perhaps something sweet would settle your nerves–?"

"I don't want any food right now," Ciel cut Sebastian off quickly, "This feeling... It's like something bad is going to happen, and I don't like it."

Sebastian's gaze hardened, "What could possibly go wrong? You thought everything out perfectly and set the game so the pieces would fall accordingly and without fail."

Ciel walked towards one of the mansions large windows overlooking the property and watched as the breeze caused the branches and leaves to dance with one another. His cerulean eye narrowed slightly as he stood silently for another moment before glancing back at the demon standing quietly behind him patiently awaiting his master's words.

"Sebastian," Ciel turned and looked up at his butler with sudden concern flooding into his eye, "Do you think Sorben could be killed?"

Sebastian, thrown somewhat off-guard by Ciel's sudden inquiry, narrowed his eyes slightly as he answered the boy, "Of course, my lord. Any demon, no matter how old or powerful, all meet their end eventually."

"So someone like Claude would even be capable of killing him if he were to gain the upper hand?"

Sebastian nodded, "Unfortunately, yes."

Ciel muttered something to himself before sitting himself down in the cushioned chair behind his desk. Slipping his finger through the loop of the tea cup, he brought the soul-filled china to his lips and took a long sip. Sebastian watched in silence as Ciel closed his visible eye and sat still as if to steady his thoughts.

Sebastian narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched the young lord, _'Is he worried that Claude will somehow manage to take down a demon as gifted and powerful as Sorben so easily? Why, my lord, I've never seen you worry about your pawns before.'_

"Sebastian, prepare a carriage," Ciel looked up at him, "I wish to see for myself if this feeling I'm having is an over-active imagination or if there really is something going wrong with our plan."

* * *

Aelia's eyes flew open as the breath left her body as if someone had delivered a swift punch to her stomach. What her eyes fell upon as she entered the back of the manor was nothing short of a gruesome disaster. There lay Claude, his body maimed and bleeding profusely as his chest heaved with desperate attempts to draw in precious oxygen. His body lay still aside form the ragged breathing in a large pool of his own blood, his eyes closed tightly with his struggles to cling to life.

What caused the color to drain from her cheeks however, was the sight of a decapitated body with its limbs sprawled out in disfigured ways. The clothing the headless body wore were soaked in blood that wafted through her nostrils, sending chills down her spine at the familiarity the scent gave her.

A few feet away laying on its side facing her, was none other than Sorben's head. His eyes were closed and dried blood lined from both corners of his mouth down the whole lower half of his face.

Thompson, Canterbury and Timber rushed behind her but soon stopped in their tracks as they surveyed the scene. Canterbury, having become the closest to Aelia since her time with them, slowly reached forward to place a comforting hand on her shoulder when he noticed her whole body began to tremble.

"Miss Aelia?" Canterbury spoke slowly as to avoid frightening her, "What are our orders–"

Timber suddenly wretched his brother away from Aelia with a harsh tug as her whole body began to glow with a visible dark aura. Her body continued to tremble as her entire entity screamed with inner rage, her eyes becoming the vibrant fuchsia as they landed on Claude.

"Why?"

* * *

_'Dear Aelia,_

_I know this must be a lot for you to take in all at once my dear, but trust me, you will handle yourself just fine as I have for many years. You are... How do I say this? A fraction of me put into another living form of life. Sorben was sworn to secrecy so once you were of age and had become what you were born to be, you would not know of my existence or why you and I are so close. Although, I did fool him into thinking the child that would be my other half would not be his, but I'm sure now he fully understands that I partially... fibbed to him._

_Despite the fact that I did not have the pleasure of meeting you before, you must be wondering why I speak to you as if I have known you my entire life. You see, I am able to see the future. It is an incredibly rare gift amongst even our lineage, being that it is only a gift a female of the Urbana line can inherit. Because you have a piece of me inside of you, this gift is now yours. If you wish to meet with me one day, you may use the gift given to you by your grandparents to call my soul forth from death for a short period of time. Exciting as it may be, you can only use this gift once, and I will not force you to choose between a first meeting with me or to see your father one last time._

_Sorben is a good man so please, once you meet him, allow him to become your father figure. Cherish the time you have with him and let him teach you what you need to know. Believe me when I say this Aelia, your father will know best when the time comes._

_Now you may be curious as to why you are only receiving this letter now and not at birth. Like I have stated and I'm sure your father has already told you, I was able to pick an appropriate time during my visions into your demonic life and chose this moment to be rather suitable._

_I won't attempt to lie to you and tell you that I didn't try everything I could to avoid getting myself killed. I'm sure Sorben told you some things about me, and that I was a cold, heartless ruler who needed no one at her side. The truth is, I am like any other woman. I yearned to be loved by my soul mate, and it was those womanly desires that caused my downfall. I do not regret it, though._

_Something I wish to reveal to you is the only secret I have kept from Sorben throughout my entire life, and I wish to share it with you._

_During the story in which Sorben would have told you about my destruction, the man who ended my life was in fact my betrothed. It was I who tricked all those around me that he was my real mate, but that was false. My soul mate was in fact Salpsan, the demon who you now know as Sebastian Michaelis. I never had the pleasure of meeting him for myself, but I do recall a vision of him fighting along side Sorben during the end of the war._

_So in turn Aelia, you have a decision. With a piece of me inside of you, you could very well terminate the marriage between you and the spider demon for the rights to marry a son born from Satan himself, or choose to live your life the way you have paved it. I've already foreseen your answer, but the humerus side of me wishes to give you your options._

_Alas, there is so much I wish to say to you but unfortunately there is only so much that can be written down on paper. I would have loved to meet you, but time was not on our side. Grow up to be a lovely woman and do what is right by you. Times have changed in Hell, so do not let others sway you to their customs. Make change and stand out like the true heir of the Urbana clan. You are the last of our bloodline, so make me proud._

_Lastly, I want you to always remember that the entire clan will always be with you in spirit when you are feeling weak and defenceless. You are never alone._

_Zelina'_

* * *

**I know, I know... SHITTY ENDING. LOOL**

**This update was supposed to be posted like... a month or so ago but now that I'm on two weeks vacation, I can cap off this story and finish it so I can begin three others that are due to start. For those of you who will be interested, the following titles will be available shortly:**

_**The Difference Between You and I – Sebastian x OC [Kuroshitsuji]**_

_**The Missing Piece – Near/Nate Rivers x OC [Death Note]**_

_**Desires – Mephisto x OC [Ao no Exorcist]**_

**I have the first chapters for each story already written out, but I won't post them until I finish Magnificence. I PROMISED myself I would finish this one before I started posting like mad, and besides, I also have a Vampire Diaries story that needs update or else I may have to barricade myself somewhere to hide from the Kol lovers who want updates. o_o**

**So I just wanted you all to know, that there will be... two or three more chapters left to this series depending on how long I want to actually make the last updates. I'm leaning towards cramming it all into two more chapters with just a crap ton of breaks between each scene, but we'll see. I'm sporadic that way. That, and I have thirteen horses to work so it depends on how much free time I have on my hands after I work two or three each day (and for those of you who aren't horse people, it's roughly about two hours per horse depending on how easy they are to saddle, brush, etc etc.) :)**

**I'm going to try though! Promise!**

**Tataa for now my lovelies, and I shall see you all later! :D**


	13. SPECIAL – The Triplets and Aelia

**A/N: Next chapter will be a continuation of the original plot to the story! This is just technically a "filler" so to speak. ;)**

* * *

**Magnificence**

_**SPECIAL CHAPTER**_

**Canterbury, Thompson and Timber:  
****Their Daily Routine With Aelia?**

* * *

"Alright, here is your schedule for today so please take notes if necessary," Claude held out a long piece of parchment paper as he dictated the daily chores to each of the triplets.

"Thompson, you shall be in charge of the gardens. Miss Aelia wishes to have white roses and blue lily's surrounding the small tea table in the center of the gardens and as for the surrounding labyrinth, she has given me permission to decide the color schemes and choose the flowers. You will use assorted tropical flowers only. She does not wish to see anything commonly cultivated here in London."

Thompson nodded after having quickly memorized his orders before giving a slight bow at the waist. With that, he turned and ran off to begin his work.

"Next," Claude turned to Canterbury, "Miss Aelia has requested a change in decoration. It would seem she disagrees with the former young master's taste in furniture and decor and would prefer something more modest and clean. Here is a list of pieces I would like you to collect and arrange as per instructed on the following pages in this folder," Claude paused only to hand the folder to the respectable triplet, "She did not put priority on this task, but I am. I want this done before the sun sets this evening, am I understood?"

"Yes, sir!" Canterbury quickly bowed at the waist before leaving once Claude dismissed him.

"Now, lastly," Claude adjusted his spectacles before turning to the final remaining triplet, who during the last few moments, had been uncharacteristically quiet. "Timber, you shall accompany Miss Aelia during her daily activities. I have a pressing matter which Miss Aelia has requested I deal with, so you will act in my place for today only."

Claude suddenly loomed over the triplet, his cold golden orbs hollow and threatening. Timber suppressed a shiver that threatened to run up and down his spine at the very sight of the elder demon's menacing gaze.

"When I return, I expect Miss Aelia to have had a pleasant day without any complications. You will see to her every wish, and if even one has not been completed, you will severely reprimanded. Am I understood?"

Timber nodded quickly deciding to avoid speaking to Claude directly.

"Good," Adjusting his spectacles once more, Claude took a step back and dismissed Timber. "I will be leaving shortly so until then, see to it that Miss Aelia's lunch and tea is prepared."

"Yes, sir!"

**x - x - x**

"Claude, you shouldn't be so hard on those triplets," Aelia sighed as she sat back against the plush fabric of her love-seat. "They do whatever they're asked and then some. You shouldn't be so strict and quick to punish them."

Claude stood to the side and listened quietly to his master before giving a soft sigh. "You are uncommonly kind, Miss Aelia. Most masters I have served did not care for their servants like you do."

Aelia looked up at her butler and gave a gentle smile. "It's because of how I was brought up. If I am cruel, I feel as though I have accepted the part of me raised with the rough hands of Samson and I refuse to become what he was."

"Of course," Claude glanced towards the door as Timber knocked before entering with a silver cart carrying a platter of food as well as one of Aelia's favorite Japanese tea sets. "Excellent. Miss Aelia, I will take my leave now," He bowed at the waist as she nodded and stood up. "I shall return before midnight to see you to bed."

"Travel safely," Aelia reached up and touched Claude's cheek gently. "And don't worry, I'll be in safe hands with the triplets!"

Claude's eyes betrayed his voice as they mirrored the annoyance of leaving his master in the hands of what he considered incompetent idiots. "Of course," With another bow, Claude made his leave.

Timber bowed as Claude made his exit before turning to Aelia. "So Miss Aelia, would you like your lunch here or in the garden?"

"Well, you already delivered it here so lets not move it twice, alright?" Aelia giggled and walked over and sat down on the chair behind her desk as Timber crossed the room to set her dinner in front of her. "And Timber, how many times do I have to tell you that you are allowed to speak informal while Claude is not around?"

Timber grinned. "At least once more, Miss Aelia."

Aelia rolled her eyes and sipped her tea. Timber stood by as she ate quietly, cleaning up soiled dishes as she finished with what was given to her. Still not completely accustomed to having such luxuries, Aelia stood up and set her empty teacup and saucer onto the cart as the triplet blinked.

"So, what's on the agenda today while Claude is absent?" Aelia looked at Timber and tilted her head. "What?"

"You're a strange one, Miss Aelia," Timber blinked once more. "Helping us when it's our job to see to it you don't have to lift a finger. Why are you so kind?"

Aelia herself blinked at Timber's blunt inquiry. "You find my being nice a bother?"

"No," Timber turned to her, his brows furrowing slightly in confusion. "You're just a lot nicer than any other human I've ever seen."

Aelia grinned at him and suddenly slung her arm around the taller demon's shoulders. "Well, get used to it! I'm not going anywhere for a while so you might as well avoid muddling over it and just go with it!"

Timber went stiff as Aelia embraced him and than relaxed against her form. A face-splitting grin suddenly broke out on his face as he nodded several times.

"Alright, Miss!"

Aelia poked his chest. "Enough with the _'Miss'_ this, and _'Miss'_ that. Just Aelia is fine. Now come on, lets go get your brothers and have some fun today!"

"But Claude told us to–"

"_I'm_ saying we're going to have some fun," Aelia winked. "I'll be the one to tell Claude that things didn't get done so you guys don't get your asses kicked."

Timber grinned and nodded, secretly expecting nothing less of his new master. Before things got too comfortable, Aelia let the demon go and allowed him to finish his final act of servitude for the day as she followed him to the kitchen with the soiled dishes. Once finished, Timber escorted Aelia towards the main guest sitting area where Canterbury was arranging the new furniture to Claude's listed specifications. The furniture was simple but chic with a classic black and white styling with a hint of silver. It was unique and very uncommon for it's time, but it was exactly as Aelia envisioned it.

When the two stepped foot into the area, Aelia's eyes went wide.

"W–Wow!" She looked around in awe. "This is amazing! It's just like I imagined it!"

Canterbury appeared out of no where and bowed once with a huge smile. "Thanks ma'am!"

Aelia blanched. "No need to use the ma'am... Aelia is fine."

Canterbury grinned and nodded. "Aye!"

Aelia grinned and walked over to him patting him on the shoulder before looking at both brothers. "Lets go get Thompson. I'm sure he'd like a break as well!"

The two nodded and followed Aelia to the gardens where Thompson was currently hard at work. When the three walked onto the back deck of the manor, Aelia's eyes went wide.

"How... How–" Aelia stood still, unblinking and utterly shocked.

Intricately weaved through the tall bush walls, were all of Aelia's favorite tropical flowers. Much to her shock, there were also several flowers exclusively grown in the desert that found their way mixed into the arrangement. Slowly making her way down, she reached out to touch the delicate beauties to see if they were in fact real or a figment of her imagination. The petals to one of the orchids felt like silk to the touch and smelled like heaven when she inhaled a mixture of exotic scents.

"Do you like it, Miss Aelia?" Thompson popped out of no where and was now standing beside Aelia, his clothing covered in muck and dirt to show what he had currently been doing. "There's more in the middle of the labyrinth too if ya wanted to go see!"

Aelia nodded quickly and followed Thompson closely as he lead her into the maze of flowers and exotic scents. Timber and Canterbury followed silently as they observed their brother's work with wide eyes. Even though they were demons, the two still gazed around in awe at the simple beauty that they themselves had never been privileged to see before.

Once the four arrived to the middle of the labyrinth, Aelia's eyes went wide and a face-splitting smile appeared on her face.

"It's perfect!"

The triplets grinned happily as they all watched Aelia walk towards a small white table with two matching chairs, reaching down to let her fingers run across the polished top.

Turning around, she beamed happily at the three.

"You guys are the best," Her eyes began to water, "Really."

"Please don't cry, Miss Aelia!" Thompson was in front of her within seconds.

Aelia giggled and dotted her eyes gently with a cloth Timber produced from the confines of his vest. The triplets stood close to Aelia and waited patiently for their next orders.

"To celebrate the amazing job you all have done, how about we all take the day off and just relax?"

Timber blinked. "But we can't!"

"Of course you can!" Aelia grinned. "Since Claude is gone _I'm_ the one giving orders, so I say we all relax and enjoy the day~"

The triplets all looked from one to the other, each whispering things to one another before facing Aelia once more and nodded with huge grins. "Alright!"

**x - x - x**

It was nearly midnight when Claude arrived on the former Trancy estate, quickly making his way around the entire property to see that it was all maintained in his absence. Pleased with the work the triplets had done, he made his way into the manor in search of Aelia. From the main sitting room, to the kitchen, up the stairs to the study and back around to the other smaller family area, Aelia was no where to be found. Finally deciding to check her room, Claude stood silently at the door and paused before reaching for the handle.

_Is she reading aloud to herself?_ He thought to himself as he listened to Aelia reading from what sounded like a fairy tale novel. Without another moments hesitation, Claude twisted the handle and let himself into the room.

"Claude, you're back!" Aelia looked over as he entered.

The spider demon looked towards Aelia and found himself at a loss for words.

Sitting against her pillows, Aelia sat with an open book in her hands with a comfortable looking Timber sitting beside her. Thompson and Canterbury also occupied space on the end of her bed, each of them looking as if they were thoroughly enjoying themselves.

"What is this?" Claude finally managed to ask.

Aelia smiled. "Well, the triplets had done such an amazing job with their tasks, so I decided to give them a little treat for their hard work and let them have the rest of the day off!"

Closing the book and setting it aside, she swung the covers off herself and hopped out of bed to go greet Claude across the room. His golden eyes shifted from his female partner to the triplets lounging on her bed.

"I see," Claude reached out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind Aelia's ear before looking at the triplets directly. "See to it that all the preparations for the morning are complete."

All three sprung into action immediately, each of the three quickly putting their shoes back on before heading towards the door. Once they had exited the room, Claude turned his full attention to the human girl in front of him.

"Forgive me for returning so late. The task you had given me took longer than anticipated, although there were no casualties nor any issues that arose," Claude escorted Aelia back to the bed and waited for her to climb back in. "Were there any issues today in my absence?"

Aelia watched as Claude tucked the blanket gently under her legs as she sat against her pillows once again and shook her head. "No, they were very well behaved and got everything done in record time."

"So you chose to reward them by reading them a fairy tale of princesses and their knights in shining armor?" The spider demon let a small smirk stretch on his face out of amusement.

Aelia went wide eyed at the sight of it. _Wow... He really looks seductive when he smirks like that..._ Her cheeks suddenly burned at the thought. _Aelia! Don't think such thoughts!_

"Well, they asked me if I was tired and when I said no, Thompson thought if I read for a while that I would eventually fall asleep. When they all came to tuck me in for the night, Canterbury asked what I had chosen to read and then Timber asked if I would read it out loud to all of them." She smiled at the thought. "I couldn't say no!"

"How very kind of you," Claude slowly sat down on the edge of the bed as he pulled one of his gloves off before reaching out to stroke Aelia's cheek gently. "Perhaps I should reward their good behavior as well and choose to be less harsh on them for their chores."

Aelia sighed contently, enjoying the feel of Claude's skin against her own. "It would be very nice of you if you would."

"Consider it done."

* * *

**Hey guys! So sorry for the long hiatus but I'd like you all to know, that I'm back and will be completing this story very soon! Last chapter should be up for Saturday. :)**

**I'm so excited to announce that we've hit almost four-thousand reads for this story! To me, that's a very big accomplishment! I want to thank you all so, so, sooooooooooo much for that! :D**

**So as a huge virtual hug to you all, this chapter will be dedicated solely to all of you wonderful readers who have given Magnificence a chance! ^_^**

**I love you guys!**


	14. All In The End

**Hey everyone! Long time no see! :)**

**I have a HUGE update for you guys today, as this is the decided second last chapter to the series. It's been a long road, a long wait and a lot of hours of planning and hair-ripping annoyances, but I will finally be bringing this story to a close!**

**I'm actually rather pleased with this chapter despite the fact it didn't come out as originally planned, so I hope at least a few of you will be as well!**

**... As always, this is un-edited FOR NOW. I was in a hurry to post this today because I am leaving for a couple of days, so I apologize for any major mistakes I have left behind! I quickly read through it and caught some things, but I don't know if I got everything. :o **

* * *

**Magnificence**

**XIII; All In The End**

* * *

Darkness and rage go hand in hand, much like light and love. Aelia felt all the kindness and emotion filter out of her body as she sank her claws into the flesh of her fathers' murderers' neck, ruthlessly prying his already injured body away from Sorben's lifeless figure. The triplets hung back and stared in awe as Aelia tossed Claude across the yard effortlessly before falling to her knees beside Sorben's body, her piercing fuchsia eyes dry but still bleeding with sorrow. She reached out slowly to touch his face, brushing away bloodied hair that caked over his dull eyes in order to memorize the last image she would have of Sorben for the rest of her long existence.

Unknown to her, Ciel and Sebastian soon made their way around to the back of the manor where the scene had unfolded, their eyes taking in all of the details of the event that had just passed. Ciel's visible eye widened and his body froze, taking in the sight of Aelia crouched over her dead father and feeling a uneasy, disturbing sensation pool at the bottom of his stomach. Sebastian, having sensed the nervousness developing in his master, took in every detail of the area with his eyes locking onto Claude's form.

"Sebastian," Ciel spoke slowly, "Go and collect Claude immediately."

Sebastian nodded, "And you, young master?"

"Just go!"

Without another word, Sebastian headed towards Claude quickly as Ciel slowly began his approach towards Aelia.

Her body was still as she continued to stare down at Sorben, her fingers stroking his paled cheek gently. His once vibrant red orbs were now dulled and lifeless, a mocking sight of their former glory. All the unsaid things she wished to have said to Sorben darted through her mind. The sadness of his sudden entry and exit into her life

Ciel took great care in approaching the silent female with caution, understanding how sudden loss can completely shatter a person having had his own personal experiences that brought him to where he was now. As he stood close to the trembling demoness, Ciel slowly lowered himself down so he was kneeling beside the girl and ever so slowly reached his hand towards her.

"Aelia," Ciel spoke with a sudden softness that he had not realized he was capable of, "May I give Sebastian the order to have Sorben moved to a more comfortable place inside the mansion?"

Said girl never broke her eyes away from her father's form, "I will let the triplets take care of him."

Canterbury, Timber and Thompson appeared around them suddenly as if on cue, each gingerly removing the still body off the ground and hurriedly made their way into the mansion to begin cleaning him and preparing him for a proper funeral.

Meanwhile, Ciel placed a hand gently onto Aelia's shoulder as if to offer some form of a simple comfort. Her eyes met his cerulean one before she inhaled deeply, allowing the pent up emotions racing through her system to finally release and allowed the tears to fall down her pale cheeks. The demonic nobleman felt a pang of sorrow in his heart for the girl as watched her silently sob, her figure slumping down as if to admit defeat. He felt as if he was watching one of his family members break down in front of him, and with that, allowed a compelling feeling nagging inside of him to reach forward, grasping Aelia in a gentle embrace.

"Let it all out," Ciel whispered, "Believe me when I say that it is harder to deal with the loss of a loved one when you shut your emotions off and refuse to let yourself come to peace with reality."

Aelia listened to the boy's words as he stroked her hair in a soothing manner.

_He's right_, Aelia thought to herself, _Ciel would know of this pain; he himself has lived through the agony of watching his family be taken from him. Perhaps that is the reason why I am able to let go._

"Young master," Sebastian walked towards the two on the ground with an unconscious Claude held over his shoulder, "Your orders?"

"Go inside and prepare some tea," Ciel looked up at him, "I will assist Aelia with whatever she needs for the moment."

Sebastian nodded and disappeared from sight not having to be told twice.

Ciel shifted slightly and wrapped his arm around Aelia's shoulders before helping her to her feet, "Lets get you cleaned up."

"Ciel," Aelia looked at him with a frown, "Why?"

For a moment the Phantomhive boy was at a loss for words, but quickly regained his previous train of thought and offered Aelia what could only be interpreted as a smile.

"For a long time I lived with a grudge against those who had killed my mother and father," He began, "Perhaps it is for that reason that I wish to help you deal with your sadness.

"I understand what betrayal and hopelessness feels like, Aelia, I really do. I had no one to offer comfort when I was mourning my loss, and that loneliness and pain turned into a rage that burned deep into my soul. I created the very same Faustian contract with Sebastian much like you would have when you first encountered Claude, and with that I sold my soul to the very demon who helped me attain my revenge.

"Looking back I feel as though I may have been able to avoid selling my soul to Sebastian had I possibly had someone to offer me condolence and warmth when I needed it most. Maybe, just maybe, that is why I want to see you in far better care than to leave you helpless and alone."

Suddenly Ciel stopped his speech and turned to look at the girl in his arms with a soft, warm expression on his face.

"You remind me of what I always envisioned an elder sibling to be like," Ciel murmured, "Despite not knowing you for long, I feel as if I have a bond with you."

Aelia felt her cheeks heat up slightly and offered Ciel a small smile, "Thank you, Ciel."

With a comfortable silence, the two made their way into the mansion and up to one of the many rooms. Ciel made good on his promise and made sure Aelia was properly cleaned and dressed before the two went into the study. Upon entry, Aelia's eyes fell on Sebastian, who stood near one of the large sofa chairs with a rolling cart to his left with one of her many tea sets and assorted pastries.

"Miss Aelia, my lord thought some tea would help settle your nerves before you spoke with your mate," Sebastian's voice was light and calm, his eyes carefully watching the demoness as he mentioned her beloved, "For this evening I have prepared one of your fine Japanese herbal teas with lemon, as it was one of the suggestions given to me by the triplets."

Aelia's expression fell only slightly at the mention of her father's murderer, but nonetheless offered Sebastian a smile and thanked him as she took a set and accepted the cup of tea held out to her. Ciel joined the two in the study and fell in suit with Aelia, accepting the tea which Sebastian offered to his master before excusing himself.

"What will you do now?" Ciel looked at Aelia before lifting the cup to his nose to examine the scent before taking a tentative sip.

"In regards to Claude?" Aelia stared down at the earthy colored liquid and exhaled quietly, "I don't know."

Her uncertainty left Ciel with nothing but a mind full of possibilities as to what would happen to the spider demon now that Sorben was gone.

"Miss Aelia," Sebastian's voice broke the silence as he entered the study, "Might I ask a question?"

"Of course," Aelia looked up at Sebastian quizzically. Said demon walked towards her before halting his movements, his crimson eyes swimming with curiosity.

"Your father once mentioned something to me that at the time was not of great importance, but now I feel as if I misjudged the way I handled that information," Sebastian began, "He stated that you had an ability that only one other in your clan possessed, but that he was uncertain if you were actually aware of it or how to use it."

"That's not entirely true," Aelia shook her head, "Father told me only once that I shared the gift of sight with Zelina, but I haven't figured out how to utilize it as of yet. What else did he tell you?"

"He was rather vague when he stated that fact, and hide any other details that he wished to keep a secret," Sebastian lifted a finger to chin and pondered for a moment, "He did however once mention an ability similar to that of a summoning."

"Summoning?" Ciel repeated, his visible eye furrowing in confusion.

Sebastian nodded, "Yes, however as he stated that, he hastily attempted to cover up his tracks as if he said no other words."

"I wonder what he could have meant by that," Aelia inquired aloud more to herself than the two demons with her.

"Excuse me."

All eyes suddenly wandered to the doors where Timber stood as Aelia smiled small, "Yes Timber?"

"Lord Sorben has been cleaned and properly dressed. Do you wish for us to lay him to rest in his room temporarily?"

Aelia hesitated for a moment not knowing if her voice would betray her and was grateful when Ciel answered for her, "Yes, that will do for now."

Timber nodded and ran off to pass the word to his brothers when Ciel stood up, "Sebastian, perhaps its time you and I have a visit with Claude."

"As you wish, young master."

"Will you be alright by yourself?" Ciel turned to Aelia, receiving a small smile and nod as his reply.

Despite her approval of the two leaving was somewhat unnerving to the young earl, he chose to leave with Sebastian in order to leave Aelia to her thoughts.

Once alone, Aelia sat back against her chair and closed her eyes. She let her mind race and reviewed the recent events one by one. Sorben, her past and present, even Claude, nothing was left untouched in her thoughts. Suddenly, Aelia's eyes snapped open as she looked down at herself. She had a overwhelming tingle that seemed to consume her entire being. Despite it surprising her with such intensity, she felt a sense of calm wash over her. Closing her eyes once more, she took a deep breath as if to try and settle the shaky feelings coming from within her, when it disappeared just as quickly as it arrived.

_Well that was weird..._ She thought to herself as she slowly opened her eyes once more, only to find that she was not in her study.

"What the–" Aelia shot up out of her chair as she looked around the strange room.

Instead of the warm and welcoming atmosphere she was used to with all of her most precious books and beautiful heirlooms Sorben had brought to her, she was now in a darker room that seemed a shade lighter than a dark violet. The furnishings were also dark, and were almost otherworldly. Aelia had never seen anything like what she was seeing now. Her fuchsia eyes widened as she continued to take in all of her new surroundings when her attention was brought to the closed door leading to Hell knows where. Aelia felt momentarily frozen as the footsteps continued to grow louder and louder, until they stopped right outside the door.

Before she could make a move, the door opened and Aelia was face to face with none other than Zelina.

"How..." Aelia's mouth gaped open as the powerful demoness walked into the room, motioning her hand as the door closed on its own accord.

"Hello, Aelia," Her voice, although powerful and prestigious as Aelia's father once detailed her to be, held a certain softness, "I was wondering how long I was to wait for this day to come."

"Zelina..." Aelia whispered, "How is this possible? You're–"

"Dead? Why yes, I am," She smiled and ushered for Aelia to sit across from her as she took her spot on the other side of a smaller table, "You are able to see and speak to me now using the very gift I passed down to you, only this is your own unique twist to it."

Aelia sat down across from the regal woman and could only nod slowly, "So how am I able to speak to you as if you were really here? Are you a ghost?"

Zelina laughed a cheery laugh, "Hell no, I am no ghost," She smirked as she sat back comfortably, her right leg draping across her left as she leaned against the arm of the chair, "I'm surprised your father never told you that despite the gifts being passed down through our blood, that we ourselves have the ability to manipulate them and make them our own just as you have done when you appeared in this room."

"So, this is real?"

"In a way, yes," Zelina nodded, "This study was your father's favorite spot in the entire castle. He told me once that if he ever had a child, he would bring them here and read to them, which surprises me that you choose this of all places to meet with me."

"He never told me about the interior of the castle though," Aelia mused.

Zelina rolled her eyes, "Of course he didn't," She suddenly got a serious look in her eyes, "He was most likely aware that he was running out of time."

"Did he know that I would meet you one day?"

"No. I made sure to keep our meeting a secret," Zelina answered truthfully, "I did not tell anyone that I placed a piece of my own soul into Sorben so it would be passed down to you when I had a vision of my own death."

Aelia frowned, "If I die, will I see it?"

"You have my gift of sight, so yes, you will see your own death before it happens," Zelina nodded, "It could be months, days or years before it happens but from personal experience, you must not dwell or become obsessive about your dreams or visions. It will eat you from the inside-out, and most likely become the reason for your demise."

The two continued to stare at one another as a tense silence fell over them. Zelina continued to observe Aelia as if she were desperate to drink in every detail before the girl would disappear.

"About Claude," Aelia began slowly, "Did you know he would kill my father?"

"I did," Zelina replied with a sigh, "Although I saw his death, I was not at liberty to tell him when or where it would happen, and certainly not by that spider's hands."

Aelia frowned, "Your letter said something that's been on my mind as well..."

Zelina grinned, "Ah yes, about your darling Phantomhive's handsome butler."

"Is he really the son of Satan?" Aelia asked with pure curiosity.

"That he is," Zelina sighed happily, "One of the many, in fact. Salpsan, or Sebastian as you know him, has one of the last internal ties to our family as the man who was to be my mate. Of course, like I revealed to you with the complete truth, he could in fact become your own. There is always a reason for everything that happens, Aelia, and trust me when I say that your meeting Ciel Phantomhive was of no coincidence. You were meant to be found by Salpsan and his contracted partner."

"That's because he and I are compatible?"

"Correct. Considering he and I never consummated our relationship, that means the next in line closest to my own bloodline would be eligible to become his mate," Zelina explained, "Meaning, you could technically destroy your bond with Claude and become one with Salpsan."

Aelia's cheeks suddenly flushed a crimson color, "You mean, marry Sebastian? But, I thought demon's mated for life when they... Um..."

Zelina grinned at Aelia's innocence, enjoying the fact that it was still in tact despite the spider demon sinking his fangs into her beloved Urbana's successor.

"Salpsan is an incredibly intelligent, powerful and proud demon Aelia," Zelina shifted in her seat, "But he is also capable of passion. All demons are when it comes to their mates. You do not have to settle for Claude should you wish to feel what it is like to become one with whom you're meant to be with."

"But he's yours?" Aelia frowned, confused by her statement.

Zelina smiled, "When I died, I was erased from his senses. Technically now, considering what I've just told you, he is all yours for the taking," Her eyes showed an amused and playful glint to them, "And despite the fact that we demons do not share mates, I could be no happier in letting him go to you."

Aelia fumbled over her thoughts and suddenly her curiosity wondered to the idea of becoming one with Sebastian, and how different it would be to live with Ciel the tall demon prince. Speaking of Ciel, Aelia wondered to herself Sebastian even revealed to Ciel who he really was.

"Do you love him?"

Aelia blinked and looked at Zelina, "What?"

"Claude," Zelina eyed her intently as she prodded, "Do you love him?"

Before Aelia could reply, her mind went blank. Did she love Claude? She must if she married him willingly and allowed him to mate with her, but did she love him more than the life of her father? Could she forgive her husband for what he had done? Aelia wondered if she had it in her to bestow such an immense amount of forgiveness on someone.

"Ah," Zelina smiled, "It seems we have hit a crossroad."

Aelia looked at her with glassy eyes, "You said in your letter than you knew what I chose... But how could I have made a decision so easy after what he's done?"

"That's not for me to answer, Aelia," Zelina shook her head, "That is something you alone need to decide on your own. You need to figure this out on your own."

Aelia looked down at her hands, "How do you break a bond like that?"

"A mating bond?" Zelina blinked, "Simple when you are not with your destined, starting with that ring on your finger."

"My ring?" Aelia looked down at said jewel before looking back at Zelina, "What about it?"

"That was fabricated only to unlock your inner demon once you made your decision to embrace your true heritage," Zelina sat straight up and pulled one of her many rings from her slender finger, "Your real inheritance was supposed to be this."

Aelia watched as Zelina set down a stunning black ring with a topaz gem with meticulous designs on the table in front of her. She stared down at it in awe, feeling a sense of pride as she reached for her gift and held it in her hand. It was magnificent, much like the woman whom it once belonged to.

"That ring has belonged to the head of the Urbana family for centuries, and now, as the new head and the only survivor, it belongs to you," Zelina smiled, "Should you choose Salpsan, he will also recognize the jewel and become fully aware that you are his potential."

"I see," Aelia nodded slowly, not hesitating as she slid the ring given to her by Claude off her finger and replaced it with the topaz one.

Zelina watched amused, "So does this mean you choose to terminate your marriage with Claude?"

"I don't know yet," Aelia sighed, "All I know is that what he did is unforgivable, or at least it will take some time for me to heal and to let go."

"You have choices now Aelia," Zelina smiled, "Not only do you have Salpsan, you also have the option to follow in my footsteps as well."

"You mean, potentially rule a kingdom alone?" Aelia frowned.

Zelina nodded, "This castle belongs to you now, and it still stands as impenetrable as it once was under my careful eyes. You can choose to rule with or without someone at your side."

"What if I choose Ciel?" Aelia suddenly spoke, "What if I was to rule with Ciel, but not as a husband?"

Zelina laughed her cheery laugh once more, "Ah, the Phantomhive who sees you as his elder sibling. Perhaps it could work, but again, the choice is entirely yours."

Aelia sat back and played with the black and fuchsia ring in her hands before standing up, "I know what I'm going to do."

"Do you now?" Zelina smirked and stood as well, circling around the table to meet Aelia, "No matter what you choose, remember I will forever be proud of you. So will Sorben."

Aelia smiled up at her, "Thank you."

There was a comfortable silence before Aelia looked up at Zelina once more, her eyes watering with tears left unshed for her father, "There's so much more I would like to talk about..." Aelia frowned slightly, "Will I ever see you again?"

"You have your new gift, and that other surprise from your grandparents I had mentioned," Zelina reached forward and ran her hand down the length of Aelia's hair, "So whenever you need me, I will be there to help guide you. You and I are connected through blood and soul, so I will always be there."

Aelia smiled and nodded slowly, "Until we meet again?"

"Until we meet again," Zelina agreed, reaching forward and embracing Aelia in a comforting hug, "Oh, before you go."

Aelia looked up at her, "Yes?"

Zelina leaned towards her at close proximity, "Please give this little gift to Salpsan for me, would you?"

Aelia's eyes went wide as Zelina whispered her request into her ear, her cheeks flaring a deep crimson. Nonetheless, Aelia nodded and promised she would see to it that Sebastian received Zelina's gift.

**x - x - x**

Ciel paced back and forth as Sebastian watched his master carefully, "What shall we do should Miss Aelia choose to return to Claude?"

"I don't know," Ciel sighed, messaging his temple gently.

Sebastian nodded, "Shall I go and check on her?"

Ciel nodded, ushering him to leave before taking a seat on one of the many chairs. Canterbury, who had been in the room three doors down, was now at Ciel's side ready for the demonic earl to give an order or make a request.

"Shall I make you some tea, Sir Phantomhive?"

Ciel looked back at him, "No, that won't be necessary."

"Will miss Aelia be alright?" Canterbury found himself asking the young demon, his eyes betraying his stoic demeanor as he frowned.

"She's strong," Ciel looked back at him, "She will recover quickly and become even stronger from this experience," Ciel noticed the elder demon's eyes soften, "Aelia will need us all once she is ready to step forward from this, so you must be strong for her."

"Yes, sir!" Canterbury gave his head a shake and in a flash, a huge grin blessed his face, "For miss Aelia, I will be happy and strong as well!"

Ciel blinked at his rapid change of heart, "Good."

**x - x - x **

Aelia's eyes opened as she quickly surveyed the room she was in, finding herself sitting in the chair in her study. A sudden rush of emotions ran through her being as she fought back the tears welling in her eyes from her meeting with the one woman she so fondly looked up to. Looking down, she ran her fingers across the topaz gem with a gentle smile.

_It was an honor to meet you, Zelina,_ Aelia thought to herself.

"Ah, I see you're awake."

Aelia looked up to see Sebastian entering the room with a smile on his face, "The young master was rather worried when Timber found you here unresponsive and in an almost catatonic state," He walked towards her and stopped a few feet away, "I trust your feeling well?"

"I am now," Aelia smiled at his words when her cheeks went red, "Sebastian, I have something I need to tell you..."

"Why I already know what you are going to say to me," Sebastian's crimson eyes sparkled slightly, "You may address me with my demonic name should you prefer, Miss Aelia."

"Salpsan," Aelia said, letting the name roll off her tongue, "It would take some getting used to, but I think I prefer Sebastian for now."

"Oh?" The demon blinked.

Aelia walked closer and reached up and touched Sebastian's cheek, "Zelina told me you were the son of Satan," She started slowly, the elder demon showing no signs of surprise as Aelia continued, "She also told me things I probably shouldn't have known, but I can't take back what I have already learned."

"Ah yes, Zelina must have informed you of our potential partnership," Sebastian mused, his eyes never leaving hers, "Shall I begin courting you, or must I wait for some time to see how this new hand will play out?"

Aelia's cheeks flushed, "I don't really feel that this is the time..."

"Of course," Sebastian smiled his dashing smile, "You must come to a conclusion on what you shall do with your current mate."

She nodded slowly, "Yes, and I have," She paused, "But first, a gift from Zelina."

There was a moment of hesitation before Aelia closed the distance between them, leaning up with her full height towards Sebastian's face. Said demon stood still as he felt the girl's lips press against the corner of his mouth in a timid, yet gentle kiss. Once Aelia pulled away, she avoided looking the demon prince in the eyes for a moment to regain some form of composure.

"A lovely gift," Sebastian remarked, a smirk forming on his lips, "However, I believe you were a little off target."

Aelia's glared up at him, "It was from Zelina, not me!"

"Ah yes, I mustn't forget that important detail."

"You're never going to let this go, are you?"

"No," Sebastian gave her a closed-eyed smile, "Not really."

Aelia sighed deeply before pulling away from Sebastian, "Before you and I have a good talk, can you take me to Claude?"

"Of course," Sebastian looked down at her, "Shall I accompany you as protection once we have arrived?"

"That won't be necessary," Aelia began walking to the door, "Even if he did kill my father, I don't believe he would be foolish enough to attempt to kill me on the same breath."

Sebastian followed her closely, "If I may be so bold," He began, "Claude would not have the chance to harm a hair on your head now that my young master is here. He would have me kill Claude before letting him kill you."

"I know," Aelia looked up at him, "But I don't want anyone else to die."

"How compassionate of you," Sebastian grinned, "A quality most fitting for one such as yourself."

Aelia's cheeks turned a shade pink, "Is this how you normally are?"

"Depending on the quality of the company, yes," Sebastian answered, "But out of pride and wishing to please my birthright, I feel as though I need not impress you with fake characteristics. You see, around you, I will show you me true side."

Aelia felt her cheeks heat up more, "I didn't say I would agree to anything, though!"

"On the contrary," Sebastian gave an innocent smile, "I have known you were my destined mate from the moment I inhaled your scent, so naturally I would attempt to show you qualities that may attract you to me."

Aelia deadpanned.

As the two reached the room Claude was currently held in, Aelia turned to Sebastian and gave him a reassuring smile. The demon butler simply lifted his hand to his chest and bowed at the waist before turning around to return to Ciel, leaving Aelia to face her father's murderer alone.

Aelia inhaled deeply before releasing her breath in one silent go, "Alright, you can do this..."

Without further waiting, Aelia reached for the handle and opened the door, walking into the room and closing the door behind her.

Sitting on the bed with his legs hanging over the side, sat a quiet Claude who looked as though he had seen better days. Knowing how powerful Sorben was, she knew Claude wouldn't have come out of the fight unscathed, but was surprised to see how little he sported for battle wounds and scars.

Claude slowly looked up at her as Aelia crossed the room towards him, his eyes stopping at the sight of another ring on her finger. The demon lifted his gaze and prepared to speak, when his words were quite literally slapped out of his mouth. Aelia had put so much force into the strike across her demon's face, that she could feel the after affects slowly throbbing in her hand. Claude remained silent as he calmly turned himself around so he was finally facing Aelia, his golden orbs meeting her fuchsia ones for the first time since the incident.

"That was for your self-centered desires and whatever other reasons you chose to have when you decided to mercilessly slaughter my father, although I should give you more than a single strike for your crime against my family," Aelia glared down at him with an unusual ferocity to her eyes that Claude was unaccustomed to, "I should give you a much harsher punishment than this, even adding onto the fact you not only killed my father but also lied to me when you first told me you wished to take me as a wife."

Claude remained silent as Aelia scolded him, her usual cheery and clam demeanor having been replaced with that of someone with authority and power. Had his little Aelia always had this side of her locked away?

The spider demon continued to look into her eyes and accept all the words being spoken to him, not even bother attempting to explain himself while his mate was in such a state. It would have been pointless, and most likely ended up with him receiving another harsh clap to the face.

"I have a choice you know," Aelia suddenly spoke after a few moments of silence, "I have a choice to leave you for the man who is my original intended."

Claude quickly snapped out of his silence and narrowed his eyes, "You have your intended."

"You were never meant to be my mate, or at least, not if you were to go in accordance to the demonic bloodlines and heirs," Aelia began, her own eyes narrowing to match his own, "Did you know, our very own Sebastian is the demon I was intended to mate with from the very beginning? He, one of the sons of Satan himself, was originally to mate with Zelina but since she has been killed and a part of her resides in me, that makes me next in line. Did you know about that, Claude? Before you tricked me into falling in love with you and agreed to become your mate?"

Claude stared at her in disbelief at the new information, never having once believed that his bitter enemy Salpsan, of all demons, would become his rival for the female. His blood ran cold at the sudden realization that Salpsan could indeed steal his dear Aelia away should he wish to, seeing as how he was her true mate. The very thought brought the same aggression back into Claude and caused his blood to boil once again.

"I am reclaiming my honor and am terminating our bond and am no longer considering myself your mate for three reasons," Aelia took the demons hand and placed the ring once given to her on his palm before closing his fingers around the gem with her own hand, "All of which are in regards to my family, not because of Sebastian."

"You mean to take _him_ as your own?" Claude fought with his internal self to keep his tone even, as to not show the rage and displeasure at the sudden turn of this situation.

"Actually no," Aelia shook her head, "I don't plan on taking a husband at this moment in time."

She pulled away from Claude and walked across the room to stand by the window, looking out at the garden where the triplets hurriedly cleaned the area of all blood and debris, making it look at immaculate and beautiful as it was before the horrible incident occurred.

Claude stood up but made no attempt to cross the room to reach the girl, "Then why?"

"I will be returned to Hell and will go take my place at the castle which Zelina once ruled years ago," Aelia stated with determination, "And I will do it without a husband, much like she did herself."

Claude watched her in disbelief, "Do you realize what you will get yourself into going to Hell without proper protection from a mate? You will bring on a war over who will claim you as the last Urbana. Not only will demons fight, but you will be forced to–"

"I know the consequences I will face once I am there, but you're wrong," Aelia looked at him, "I won't be alone."

"Oh?" Claude narrowed his eyes, "Just who will you bring with you, now that your father is no longer here to protect you?"

Aelia bit back a harsh remark but steeled herself in front of the angered demon, "I will be bringing the triplets to live in the castle with me, but not as servants, as my family," Aelia looked out the window once more and felt some anger dispel as Ciel and Sebastian came into view, "I will be bringing Ciel and Sebastian with me, as well."

This made Claude shake with rage, "You dare bring Salpsan back with you instead of me?"

"This is my decision Claude, not yours," Aelia finally turned to him fully after watching Ciel survey the area before nodding his approval at the triplets job well done, "You lost that hold and privilege when you tore my father's head from his shoulders."

Claude, who had been composed up until now, let his rage show as he began to cross the room towards Aelia. Said female didn't move an inch, even as Claude reached forward to grab her in his fit of anger, only to hauled back and thrown across the room.

"That's enough," Ciel demanded as he stood in front of Aelia, "Claude, you will control yourself or I will order Sebastian to remove you from sight."

Sebastian stood before Claude in front of Ciel and Aelia, as the spider demon stood back up and narrowed his eyes dangerously, "This does not concern you!"

"Oh but it does," Sebastian smirked before speaking to Claude in a language neither Ciel nor Aelia understood, "_Seeing as how you are threatening what is rightfully mine, this does concern me_."

"Sebastian," Ciel eyed him momentarily before turning his attention to Claude, "Do not taunt him. I'm sure Miss Aelia would not wish to see another fight break out before her."

"Of course my younger master," Sebastian replied instantly.

Aelia, who had remained silent, now moved forward to stand beside Ciel, "I'm giving you a choice here and now Claude, to either stand down, or to leave at once."

"And if I choose to kill Sebastian?" Claude narrowed his eyes, jealousy gleaming in his golden orbs.

"Then I will be forced to allow Ciel give his orders to Sebastian and watch him tear you apart," Aelia stated with no remorse, surprising not only herself but Ciel as well.

Sebastian, who Aelia could not see fully, only smiled at her answer and felt pleased with this change in her.

Claude scoffed, his patience wearing thin with the situation at hand.

"I'm giving you a chance to stand down Claude," Aelia began once again, this time taking a different and less aggressive approach, "To come to Hell with us all and live at peace despite our differences and what has transpired here, or to be judged as a murderous demon and fight for your life."

Aelia's eyes softened slightly, her feelings for the demon in front of her beginning to bubble near the surface once more even though he had committed the ultimate act of betrayal.

"I'm willing to forgive you should you accept my offer and come with us," Aelia finally revealed, ignoring the shocked looks from both Ciel and Sebastian as her eyes remained trained on Claude, "I will not forget what you have done nor will I take you as my mate once again, but I am willing to forgive should you accept my terms and choose to live in peace."

Claude stared at Aelia with disbelief clear on his face. Had he heard his former mate correctly? She was willing to forgive him at such a lowly price? His eyes narrowed slightly with suspicion, but nothing in Aelia's eyes or the expression on her face gave him any reason to believe she was attempting to lure him into some sort of trap or deceive him.

"Why?" Claude ground out, "Why would you, after what I have done? Why would you forgive me?"

"It's not in me to hate, Claude," Aelia sighed, "Maybe I am more like my predecessor before me than others would prefer to see, but I will not condemn you when I know that somewhere, there's still the same Claude I had fallen in love with. You were my best friend, and I wish to still have you in my life. I won't allow this to make us enemies unless that is what you choose."

"I won't be around when you choose to marry Salpsan," Claude snarled, his mind fixated on the fact Sebastian was so close to claiming what should have remained his.

Aelia forced herself to remain calm and bit back her annoyance at Claude's seemingly obsessive hate for the demon prince, "Claude, please... Just let that go and agree to come back with us."

The spider demon eyed each of the three with distaste before standing in a more neutral posture and reached up and into his breast pocket, pulling out his spectacles and unfolding them. Once they were comfortably positioned on the bridge of his nose, Aelia watched as he turned around and walked for the door. With his hand on the handle, he took one look back and drank in her form for what seemed like the last time.

"Gold and thread to lace and wire, diamond to dust and souls to bitter nothingness. I'm afraid I cannot accept your terms," Claude narrowed his eyes, "This is how we part as enemies, my dear Aelia. Perhaps in this life or another, we will meet again."

Aelia swallowed hard as she watched Claude exit the room, sensing his presence fully disappearing from the manor. Ciel turned to the girl and reached up to place a hand on her shoulder to comfort her, earning a small smile from Aelia before she looked up at Sebastian.

"He's gone, isn't he?"

Sebastian nodded, "Yes, I'm afraid so."

"Lets go and collect your things before we leave," Aelia looked up at Sebastian as he walked towards the door, "I'm sure you are unaware, but the gates leading to Hell only open when a demon's blood has been shed. If we are to return to you true home, we must hurry and leave as soon as possible."

Ciel nodded and lead Aelia to her room, where she quickly packed two rather large luggage bags with only her essential clothing and precious possessions that mattered to her. Canterbury, who had walked into her room, brought with him several other cases already packed and filled to the brim with things that he knew Aelia would feel depressed to have left behind. The gesture made Aelia smile. Once all of her things were packed, the triplets brought her luggage to the main doors where Sebastian was waiting patiently for all to arrive. He gave Aelia a sympathetic look before informing her that she could not bring with her all of her worldly possessions, causing the girl to frown but not in understanding.

As the group exited the house, Timber and Thompson carried with them only what mattered most to their beloved Aelia to the carriage while Ciel helped her into the carriage. Canterbury positioned himself in the driving seat, waiting patiently for his brothers to finish securing the luggage to the back of the carriage before giving Sebastian a quick nod. Aelia and Ciel sat back comfortably as they watched from the window as Sebastian quickly disappeared for a moment before entering the carriage, seating himself across from the young earl and Aelia while the manor, now disappearing in the distance as the horses pulled away, went up in flames.

"So this is it," Aelia mumbled as she looked away, turning her attention forward.

Ciel looked at her, "It will be easier this way."

"I know," She sighed, leaning back against the plush interior of the carriage, "I just wish I could have said goodbye to my brother and sister before leaving them forever."

Ciel looked at her and nodded in understanding.

Eventually their journey led them to a large clearing where an array of stunning flowers stand tall and proud, seeming as though they were waiting for the group to arrive. Sebastian was first to exit the compartment before hold his hand out for Aelia, who accepted his assistance and allowed him to help her out of the carriage before he copied his gesture for Ciel.

"This is absolutely beautiful!" Aelia gazed at the vast expanse of uniquely colored flowers, noticing them all to be a royal blue and vibrant white, "Who knew this would be where the gates to Hell could be found."

"Only to demons, miss Aelia," Timber added.

Aelia turned around and watched as the triplets prepared her luggage for the journey to their new home, and felt excitement as well as nervousness build up in her stomach.

"Shall we go?" Ciel looked at Aelia before walking down a narrow path through the flowers.

Aelia watched him and smiled as the triplets followed him close, when Sebastian looked down at her after releasing the horses from their harness to let them find their way to another owner. Her eyes followed the horses as they excitedly trotted around to their freedom before finally locking her gaze to the curious elder demon.

"Is there something the matter, miss Aelia?" Sebastian inquired, approaching the girl so that they may both be on their way to the gate.

Aelia shook her head before giving him a smile, "I was just envious of those two," Aelia revealed, "They're free now, and oblivious to what future they may have, whereas I know the decisions and choice I make from here on out will effect not only my life, but the lives of many others."

Sebastian gave what sounded like a small chuckle and offered his arm to the girl as he stood by her side, "You should not worry too much. You will make an excellent ruler one day, but it will take time and patience."

"You think?" Aelia accepted his arm and looped her own around his, the two falling into equal steps down the narrow path, "Thank you, Sebastian."

"You're very welcome."

The two walked in silence as Sebastian observed the girl from the corner of his eye, amused by her pleasure at the beautiful changes to the flowers and the sky as they neared the gates. The blue sky was now darker than a normal shade of night, and Aelia could not make out a single star. Had they been walking that long? The flowers also began to have an eerie yet welcoming glow to them, lighting the pathway to a cliff as the two made their way close to the edge.

"We have arrived," Sebastian looked down at Aelia, "Would you like a moment to yourself before we cross over and meet with the young master and the triplets?"

Aelia considered his words before taking one look back over her shoulder, her mind buzzing with the things she would be leaving behind or what her human self would have done if her life had taken a different approach. Would she have met Sorben eventually, and in meeting him, would that occurrence have lead her to Sebastian and Ciel? Had she not contracted Claude and eventually married him, would she be in Hell already, married and in love with a demon prince contracted to the young Phantomhive. Would she eventually love Sebastian, or would the nagging feeling in her chest forever tell her she still loved Claude? Perhaps time would tell, but Aelia needed no man currently in her life as long as she had her new family with her.

Taking a deep breath to calm her sudden jittery nerves, Aelia looked up at Sebastian with a serene expression as if to tell the demon she was ready to depart.

"Very well," Sebastian smiled down at her before quickly picking her up in his arms, causing Aelia to yelp and wrap her arms around his neck, "To Hell we go, young Aelia."

* * *

**PHEW, I don't think I've written so much in one night for a long time. My poor eyes and fingers, not used to typing this much nor the 3AM bedtimes anymore. ;(**

**Anywho! I just want to tell you all that this is going to technically be considered the last chapter, but there will be an epilog posted to finish off the series. As well, some of you may be a little upset with how I decided to twist things around concerning Zelina and Sebastian, and now his ties to Aelia after Zelina revealed what she could have. I DO NOT want to receiving a bunch of angry Claude fangirl messages telling me that they're upset at me for adding the Sebastian twist into this, so please be patient and anticipate what Aelia will do when it comes down to her big decision. Have faith in our lovely OC! She has not let us down before, right? RIGHT? D:**

**For those of you who might possibly be panicing or thinking that Claude will have left the story from here on out, he WILL be back for the epilog, so please, lets not panic!**

**As always, critiques are welcomed and I will read any and all reviews added to my story! I love hearing your feedback whether negative or positive, as we can always learn from our readers to figure out a happy medium in the end. :)**

**I love you all very much, and please have yourselves a wonderful morning, day, afternoon or evening! :)**


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